'Who can speak of rule of law when mobs loot and burn?' Le Pen launches presidential bid

Far-right lawmaker Marine Le Pen has launched her presidential campaign in earnest, seizing on the wave of anti-government unrest that has shaken France and emerged as a defining variable in the next presidential race. As protests over soaring living costs spread into looting and arson, drawing sharp criticism of President Emmanuel Macron's handling of public order, Le Pen moved to capitalize on the turmoil by positioning herself as the candidate of law and order.

Le Pen held her first major campaign rally Sunday (local time) in Orleans, in central France, drawing thousands of supporters as she formally set her sights on the next presidential election, according to foreign media reports.

"Who can say that the rule of law exists when mobs descend to loot and burn buildings?" she said in her address, adding: "We will restore the rule of law."

The remarks were a direct reference to the violent unrest that has swept France in recent weeks. Protests that erupted Oct. 17 over surging living costs and deteriorating conditions in public education spread to looting and arson in Paris and other major cities, fueling mounting criticism of the Macron government's security response.

A follow-up wave of demonstrations Saturday drew a deployment of 70,000 police officers, preventing a repeat of the large-scale looting, but sporadic clashes continued and 1,300 people were arrested. More than 400,000 people took to the streets across France, underscoring the depth of the social unrest.

Le Pen has moved to turn the crisis into a political opportunity. The National Rally (RN) has publicly expressed support for the police throughout the unrest, reinforcing its image as a party that stands for law and order — a strategy widely seen as aimed at winning over voters disillusioned with the Macron government's security record.

Le Pen also renewed her France-first message at the rally. "We want to ensure the genuine transmission of French culture and the French way of life," she said, pledging to rebuild border controls — both at the national level and at the European level — creating what she described as a double layer of borders.

"What we are proposing for our country is not a return to the past, but the beginning of a new era," she said, drawing cheers from the crowd, who chanted "We will win."

Should she win the presidential election scheduled for April and May next year, Le Pen pledged to introduce a cap on household energy bills and cut taxes. She also outlined plans to reduce France's contributions to the EU to ease the cost-of-living burden on French citizens.

On foreign policy and security, she has maintained a critical stance toward NATO and has opposed providing support to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Le Pen leads polling for the next presidential election despite facing legal jeopardy. Implicated in a case involving the misappropriation of European Parliament funds, she is making her fourth run for the presidency.

However, resistance to the prospect of a far-right government remains fierce. Some 13,000 counter-protesters gathered in Orleans on Sunday (local time) to demonstrate against the RN congress. French authorities deployed 3,000 police officers to prevent clashes between RN supporters and the demonstrators.

Jordan Bardella, 31, who was reelected as RN president at the congress, pledged his full support for Le Pen's presidential bid. "We need you again to lead Marine Le Pen to the Elysee Palace," he told supporters, calling on them to unite behind her campaign.

With anti-government protests continuing across France, public security and the cost of living are emerging as the central issues of next year's presidential race. Le Pen is working to channel widespread discontent with the Macron government into broader electoral support, leading with a platform of tough security policies and tax cuts.