Paris accuses right-wing mayors of betraying EU

The French government has lashed out at right-wing mayors who have stripped European Union flags from town halls following their election wins. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the acts as a “betrayal,” framing them as an erosion of freedom and democracy.

The controversy follows municipal elections last month in which Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally (RN) won in dozens of small and mid-sized French towns, more than tripling its mayoral and council positions since the last vote.

In a symbolic gesture, some newly elected RN mayors began their mandates by removing EU flags from town halls. In at least two instances, the mayors removed the flag themselves and posted footage on social media. One of them said that the only “worthy” flag is the blue-white-red French standard.

“This is a betrayal of who we are,” Barrot wrote on X on Tuesday. “This [EU] flag is the flag of a possible hope; it is the flag of freedom, justice, and democracy,” he argued.

Led by veteran politician Marine Le Pen and party president Jordan Bardella, the Euroskeptic RN is France’s largest opposition party, holding a plurality of seats in parliament.

The party has long argued EU policies undermine French sovereignty, particularly on borders, migration, and economic rules. It advocates stricter immigration and asylum policies, prioritizing French citizens in social benefits, and reforms that would give national law primacy over EU rules.

The RN previously called for a referendum on France leaving the EU, with ‘Frexit’ a central issue in its 2017 campaign, but has since abandoned that position.

In the 2026 municipal elections, RN candidates campaigned on security, fiscal management, and local identity, often under the slogan “a safer and better-managed city.”

Le Pen has also criticized aspects of the EU’s policy toward Russia, calling for greater emphasis on diplomacy.

A three-time presidential candidate who reached the run-off in 2017 and 2022, Le Pen was sidelined last year after a French court convicted her of misusing EU funds. She denies wrongdoing.

Her protege, Bardella, remains a leading figure in opinion polls ahead of the 2027 presidential race.