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| Seeking New Heights in France, National Front Party Thinks Locally | Seeking New Heights in France, National Front Party Thinks Locally |
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| MARSEILLE, France — Elected mayor of one section of Marseille earlier this year as the candidate of the far-right National Front, Stéphane Ravier wasted no time before making headlines, announcing that public employees under his control would no longer speak anything but French, a slap at this sprawling port city’s large Muslim immigrant population. | MARSEILLE, France — Elected mayor of one section of Marseille earlier this year as the candidate of the far-right National Front, Stéphane Ravier wasted no time before making headlines, announcing that public employees under his control would no longer speak anything but French, a slap at this sprawling port city’s large Muslim immigrant population. |
| Ticking off his other accomplishments recently, Mr. Ravier described serving quiche with bacon at an annual city hall function rather than a non-pork version in deference to Muslim dietary practices, and halting a marriage ceremony because a young Muslim bride was wearing a veil covering her face. | Ticking off his other accomplishments recently, Mr. Ravier described serving quiche with bacon at an annual city hall function rather than a non-pork version in deference to Muslim dietary practices, and halting a marriage ceremony because a young Muslim bride was wearing a veil covering her face. |
| “My predecessor would not have been brave enough to do any of these things,” Mr. Ravier said, settled into the sofa in his large office in the seventh sector of Marseille and clearly satisfied with his performance so far. “The husband had a beard to his knees. He accused me of being anti-Islam. I said, ‘No, it’s you who will not make an effort. I am just imposing the law. We are in France.’ ” | “My predecessor would not have been brave enough to do any of these things,” Mr. Ravier said, settled into the sofa in his large office in the seventh sector of Marseille and clearly satisfied with his performance so far. “The husband had a beard to his knees. He accused me of being anti-Islam. I said, ‘No, it’s you who will not make an effort. I am just imposing the law. We are in France.’ ” |
| Mr. Ravier is just one of a crop of far-right candidates propelled into city halls across France as part of an ambitious plan by the National Front to build support from the ground up, prove that it can govern and set the stage for a presidential run by its leader, Marine Le Pen, in 2017. | Mr. Ravier is just one of a crop of far-right candidates propelled into city halls across France as part of an ambitious plan by the National Front to build support from the ground up, prove that it can govern and set the stage for a presidential run by its leader, Marine Le Pen, in 2017. |
| Like many of his counterparts in other towns and cities, Mr. Ravier has been quick to impose the National Front’s anti-immigrant, nationalistic, populist ideology, stirring controversy but also putting the party’s reach on display at a time when France remains economically moribund and the mainstream parties of left and right are mired in their own deep troubles. | Like many of his counterparts in other towns and cities, Mr. Ravier has been quick to impose the National Front’s anti-immigrant, nationalistic, populist ideology, stirring controversy but also putting the party’s reach on display at a time when France remains economically moribund and the mainstream parties of left and right are mired in their own deep troubles. |
| Ms. Le Pen is hoping the mayors can show that the National Front, or the F.N. as it is known by its French initials, can live up to its promises to lower taxes, balance budgets and provide better services, including lowering crime. At the same time, she hopes that daily contact with them and the 1,500 candidates elected to serve on town councils will help convince voters that the party is less extreme than they think. | Ms. Le Pen is hoping the mayors can show that the National Front, or the F.N. as it is known by its French initials, can live up to its promises to lower taxes, balance budgets and provide better services, including lowering crime. At the same time, she hopes that daily contact with them and the 1,500 candidates elected to serve on town councils will help convince voters that the party is less extreme than they think. |
| It is a strategy that highlights the new tactics brought to the National Front by Ms. Le Pen, the daughter of the party’s founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who never bothered with this tier of French politics. Some experts say he was never serious about winning the French presidency, and only wanted a platform to speak out. | It is a strategy that highlights the new tactics brought to the National Front by Ms. Le Pen, the daughter of the party’s founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who never bothered with this tier of French politics. Some experts say he was never serious about winning the French presidency, and only wanted a platform to speak out. |
| Ms. Le Pen, by contrast, is methodically building a political machine she hopes will be capable of winning national influence and ultimately propel her to the presidency. | Ms. Le Pen, by contrast, is methodically building a political machine she hopes will be capable of winning national influence and ultimately propel her to the presidency. |
| On Sunday, voters elected two National Front candidates to the Senate, the first time the party has been represented in the upper house of the national Parliament, further underscoring the opportunity Ms. Le Pen has to portray her party as part of the mainstream. | On Sunday, voters elected two National Front candidates to the Senate, the first time the party has been represented in the upper house of the national Parliament, further underscoring the opportunity Ms. Le Pen has to portray her party as part of the mainstream. |
| “It is a very important part of the National Front strategy that these mayors succeed,” said Sylvain Crépon, the author of “In the Heart of the National Front.” | “It is a very important part of the National Front strategy that these mayors succeed,” said Sylvain Crépon, the author of “In the Heart of the National Front.” |
| “They are hoping that these mayors will be a showcase, knocking down the idea that the National Front is incompetent. It’s the total opposite of her father’s thinking.” | “They are hoping that these mayors will be a showcase, knocking down the idea that the National Front is incompetent. It’s the total opposite of her father’s thinking.” |
| But so far it is not clear whether the party is rebranding itself or simply reinforcing its reputation for intolerance and barely veiled racism. In just six months, far-right mayors have gained notoriety for such things as giving themselves raises, cutting day care slots and free school lunches in largely immigrant neighborhoods, and passing a law prohibiting begging. | But so far it is not clear whether the party is rebranding itself or simply reinforcing its reputation for intolerance and barely veiled racism. In just six months, far-right mayors have gained notoriety for such things as giving themselves raises, cutting day care slots and free school lunches in largely immigrant neighborhoods, and passing a law prohibiting begging. |
| The strategy has also highlighted the lack of depth in the party’s ranks below Ms. Le Pen. The country’s 14 National Front mayors, most elected in last March’s local elections, took office with almost no governing experience and with the French news media closely tracking their performance. | The strategy has also highlighted the lack of depth in the party’s ranks below Ms. Le Pen. The country’s 14 National Front mayors, most elected in last March’s local elections, took office with almost no governing experience and with the French news media closely tracking their performance. |
| Little of the coverage has been flattering, noting everything from tax cuts that are throwing budgets out of whack to gestures that are deemed oafish. | Little of the coverage has been flattering, noting everything from tax cuts that are throwing budgets out of whack to gestures that are deemed oafish. |
| Perhaps no mayor has had a harder time than Fabien Engelmann, who is the mayor of Hayange, a factory town in the northeast of the country. He first drew national attention for repainting a fountain in the town square without consulting the artist who created it, evoking headlines suggesting that the National Front lacked culture, a serious demerit in this country. | Perhaps no mayor has had a harder time than Fabien Engelmann, who is the mayor of Hayange, a factory town in the northeast of the country. He first drew national attention for repainting a fountain in the town square without consulting the artist who created it, evoking headlines suggesting that the National Front lacked culture, a serious demerit in this country. |
| The hoopla over the statue had barely died down when Mr. Engelmann was accused by a former colleague of having illegally pressed her into paying about 3,000 euros of his campaign debts so that he would not go over his legal spending limit. He has denied any wrongdoing. | The hoopla over the statue had barely died down when Mr. Engelmann was accused by a former colleague of having illegally pressed her into paying about 3,000 euros of his campaign debts so that he would not go over his legal spending limit. He has denied any wrongdoing. |
| Last week, he found himself in the middle of yet another controversy for having ordered a halal butcher to close on Sunday under threat of arrest, though he did not order any other businesses that stay open on Sunday to close. | Last week, he found himself in the middle of yet another controversy for having ordered a halal butcher to close on Sunday under threat of arrest, though he did not order any other businesses that stay open on Sunday to close. |
| In the south, another National Front official who has gotten a lot of attention is Joris Hébrard, 32, a physiotherapist who was elected mayor of Le Pontet, a town about an hour’s drive away from Marseille. Several of the new National Front mayors have given themselves raises. But Mr. Hébrard topped the charts by giving himself a raise of 44 percent. After the regional government reviewed his calculations, he had to give most of it back. | In the south, another National Front official who has gotten a lot of attention is Joris Hébrard, 32, a physiotherapist who was elected mayor of Le Pontet, a town about an hour’s drive away from Marseille. Several of the new National Front mayors have given themselves raises. But Mr. Hébrard topped the charts by giving himself a raise of 44 percent. After the regional government reviewed his calculations, he had to give most of it back. |
| One reason the increase caused such a stir is that the town is hugely in debt and even as Mr. Hébrard was raising his own salary and that of his deputies, he was eliminating free lunches for poor families, most of them immigrants. In a recent interview, he said that only five or six families really seemed to need the free lunches and that he would decide later what to do about them. | One reason the increase caused such a stir is that the town is hugely in debt and even as Mr. Hébrard was raising his own salary and that of his deputies, he was eliminating free lunches for poor families, most of them immigrants. In a recent interview, he said that only five or six families really seemed to need the free lunches and that he would decide later what to do about them. |
| “Nothing should be free,” he said, noting that he was reviewing all of the town’s fees and services. | “Nothing should be free,” he said, noting that he was reviewing all of the town’s fees and services. |
| But the harshness of budget cuts falling on struggling immigrant families has been a recurring theme. The left-leaning daily newspaper Libération recently ran a piece under the headline “National Front Town Halls: The Poor Are Not Worth The Money,” a story that concluded that the National Front mayors were cutting day care, food banks, free lunches and programs for dropouts and runaways in areas where the cuts would largely affect the poor, often people of immigrant descent. | But the harshness of budget cuts falling on struggling immigrant families has been a recurring theme. The left-leaning daily newspaper Libération recently ran a piece under the headline “National Front Town Halls: The Poor Are Not Worth The Money,” a story that concluded that the National Front mayors were cutting day care, food banks, free lunches and programs for dropouts and runaways in areas where the cuts would largely affect the poor, often people of immigrant descent. |
| Sometimes the mayors’ actions have prompted protests. When the mayor of Villers-Cotterêts, Franck Briffaut, refused to hold an annual ceremony commemorating the abolition of slavery, saying the national celebration “only perpetuated guilt,” about 300 demonstrators went ahead without him. In Hénin-Beaumont, when the mayor, Steeve Briois, signed an order banning begging, the League of Human Rights challenged the move in the courts, forcing him to rescind the measure, which was widely seen as targeting the Roma. | Sometimes the mayors’ actions have prompted protests. When the mayor of Villers-Cotterêts, Franck Briffaut, refused to hold an annual ceremony commemorating the abolition of slavery, saying the national celebration “only perpetuated guilt,” about 300 demonstrators went ahead without him. In Hénin-Beaumont, when the mayor, Steeve Briois, signed an order banning begging, the League of Human Rights challenged the move in the courts, forcing him to rescind the measure, which was widely seen as targeting the Roma. |
| It is still early for the mayors and no polls appear to exist on how they are being perceived by the general public. But in one indication of concern within the party, Ms. Le Pen took time out at a gathering of young supporters to criticize journalists for their focus on National Front mayors, coverage she deemed relentlessly negative. | It is still early for the mayors and no polls appear to exist on how they are being perceived by the general public. But in one indication of concern within the party, Ms. Le Pen took time out at a gathering of young supporters to criticize journalists for their focus on National Front mayors, coverage she deemed relentlessly negative. |
| “But the sun still shines above cities won by the National Front, no offense to these birds of ill omen,” she said. | “But the sun still shines above cities won by the National Front, no offense to these birds of ill omen,” she said. |
| While some experts say that the mayors have surely had a rocky start, some of the overtly nationalistic, anti-European stands the mayors are taking, such as Mr. Ravier’s behavior or one mayor’s refusal to fly the European Union flag outside his town hall, may actually be giving the party’s standing a boost. | While some experts say that the mayors have surely had a rocky start, some of the overtly nationalistic, anti-European stands the mayors are taking, such as Mr. Ravier’s behavior or one mayor’s refusal to fly the European Union flag outside his town hall, may actually be giving the party’s standing a boost. |
| “The French have gotten more radical,” said Brice Teinturier, the chief pollster of the polling group Ipsos in France. “The actions against immigrants don’t shock like they did 10 or 15 years ago.” | “The French have gotten more radical,” said Brice Teinturier, the chief pollster of the polling group Ipsos in France. “The actions against immigrants don’t shock like they did 10 or 15 years ago.” |
| Mr. Ravier, in Marseille, has voted against just about any kind of spending in the low-income area of his sector, saying that renovating housing in such neighborhoods, for instance, is not going to change the “nature” of those who live there. Mr. Ravier, 45, seems to have little sympathy for those families that say that their streets are dirty and infested with drug dealers. | Mr. Ravier, in Marseille, has voted against just about any kind of spending in the low-income area of his sector, saying that renovating housing in such neighborhoods, for instance, is not going to change the “nature” of those who live there. Mr. Ravier, 45, seems to have little sympathy for those families that say that their streets are dirty and infested with drug dealers. |
| “I can tell you that my predecessor never said to them, ‘Get your children to school,’ ” Mr. Ravier said. “That is eight hours that they would not be able to fall under the influence of the drug dealers.” |