Le Pen says France is the least racist country and denies discrimination in US interview

The interview

Marine Le Pen, the National Rally candidate in the 2027 presidential race, spoke to CBS for its programme 60 Minutes, broadcast on Sunday, 8 November, with host Trevor Phillips. She told the network that France is the least racist country in the world and that discrimination does not exist there. She blamed immigration for destabilising French society, arguing that taking in too many immigrants creates the conditions for that destabilisation. She said the country cannot keep importing immigrants, pointing to unemployment among immigrant communities, which she said is double that of French citizens. Asked whether she is a fascist, she answered no and said her programme contains no elements of fascism. She also said that people who declare they hate French culture and refuse to respect French laws could be expelled under a government led by her.

Protests and violence

The interview came after weeks of protests that drew hundreds of thousands of people in several French cities, some of which turned violent. Le Pen blamed the far left for the disorder. She cited damage to 2,500 establishments and 1,500 injured police officers, figures she gave herself in the interview. A little over two weeks before the broadcast, a racist attack in Trappes in the Yvelines killed a man. Her remarks were made against that backdrop of unrest and violence in the country.

Disputed claims

Her claim that discrimination does not exist conflicts with the most recent survey by the Defender of Rights, an independent authority, conducted in 2024 and published in December 2025. That survey found that perceived origin is the main factor of exposure to discrimination in job searches. Other studies and testing campaigns have documented discrimination in housing searches and in over-exposure to identity checks. A 2025 diversity barometer by the training body Cegos ranked racism as the third criterion of discrimination in France. Le Pen cited no study when calling France the least racist country. A 2023 study by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights found that France was not the most affected country in the bloc, with Austria and Germany ranking worse, but that France was more affected than Spain and Sweden. Portugal scored best in that ranking.

Reactions

Karim Bouamrane, the Socialist mayor of Saint-Ouen in Seine-Saint-Denis, told Sud Radio that Le Pen was in denial and was pretending to reject what he called endemic discrimination in order to keep it going. Manuel Bompard of La France Insoumise wrote on X that the country had just suffered a terrible racist attack and that Le Pen was explaining to American television that France has the least racism in the world. François Ruffin, a left-wing presidential candidate, told LCI that systemic racism clearly exists in France, pointing to more identity checks than neighbouring countries and checks that target people of colour more often. Online, some users backed Le Pen while others criticised her, with critics arguing that discrimination against people of colour in France is widespread.

Polling and the campaign

BFMTV described Le Pen as the clear favourite in polls for the 2027 presidential election. According to watson.ch, her poll ratings rose after the unrest. Her remarks on immigration and discrimination are likely to shape the debate that follows in the campaign.