European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 11, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                National front party Leader Jean Merle be pen once a minor figure is a presidential candidate. Jean Marie be pen the Specter of resurgent French extremism by Elaine san Ley associated pressm in in Crew cuts and jackboots goos Eslep at a March honouring Joan of arc. Tracts of Neo nazi literature Lorn up at High schools around Franco pro Hitler slogans appear on synagogue Waits. What look like new clips ram the past Are current events. Some experts and political leaders seb them As just isolated acts with no cause or alarm. For others however. They Are the Specter of a resurgent extremism a dark Lail on the rising Star of Jean mane be pen today in France the fight against the Rise in totalitarianism is the order of the Day said a statement signed by 122 intellectuals and celebrities and published recently As a full Page advertisement in the newspaper Monde. The statement appealed 1o frenchmen to denounce be pen and his extreme right parly the National front. Former Premier Laurent Fabius. A socialist said a common rent of democrats should Blockle pen s path to confront his  Michel noir Trade minister in Premier Jacques Chirac s conservative government risked his political position to denounce be pen and ask Are we prepared to sacrifice our soul so As not to lose the election he was referring to the possibility thai the National front could draw Voles away from moderate conservatives in an election. The 59-year-old be pen once a minor political figure is now a presidential candidate a zealous crusader and political provocateur. He has divided Chirac s government Over How to Deal with his Brash Campaign that glorifies French Ness called for the isolation of immigrants and demanded quarantine for aids victims to keep the disease from spreading. Two and a half million unemployed is two and a Hall million too Many immigrants be pen has said. Be pen let Ata political rally in Madrid with Hla extreme right Wing Spanish counterpart. Bias Pinar. Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday july 11,1987 he proposes sending Home mini Grants who Don t have jobs and espouses programs Hal critics maintain would ultimately Isotalo those who remain from the rest of French society. Be pan s National front with 35 of the 577 seats in parliament draws support from about 10 percent of voters responding to Public opinion polls. As a result he could wreck the chances for a conservative candidate possibly Chirac himself in the 19 in presidential elections. There is no apparent direct connection Between to per and incidents with an anti semitic or authoritarian tone but Crany critics say the be pen phenomenon legitimizes extremism in the eyes of some the critics hold be pen responsible for the increasing visibility of extremist groups All represented at the Joan of arc ceremony May 9 along with the National front the extreme right seemed to have disappeared. Unhul i he emergence of Thon Lional front political scientist Rene Remond. Author of a Book on French rightists wrote in the weekly la Nouvel Oscr valour. Which devoted its Cavor to the Issue. Today various extremist currents Are consolidated in the National front he said what Adoll Hitler said Between 1920 and 1930 has a Strong resemblance to what be pen is saying now historian Jacques Legoll one of lha signers of the statement published in be Monde said in an interview. The climate he creates Breeds this sort of  the National front says in is neither fascist nor racial. Juch attacks Are totally scandalous and erroneous said Bruno Megret be pen s Campaign manager and a member of the National Assembly. This is a traditional political lactic to destroy the adversary Megret said in an interview. They attack us so brutally because they feel  Megret says the party is not Anil foreign but simply supports fraternity among frenchmen. The French in France will be first which is not to say they will be xenophobic and  to pen has said. I Preier my daughters to my nieces my nieces to my neighbors my neighbors to strangers and strangers to my  culture minister Francois Leotard argues Hal the extreme right is not really on the Rise in Franco. The totalitarian and authoritarian ideology has always represented Between 1.5 and 2 percent of the French population Leotard said. There is Raj reason to think that 1d to 12 percent of French people today Are fascist. Bui a certain number of citizens Are  Jean Pierre Rioux a contemporary historian at the National Center Lor scientific research agreed. Something is happening Between the traditional 1,5 percent fascist vote and the estimated 10 percent of the electoral supporting be pen to said in an interview. Ii is explained by a need a fear. There Are problems of insecurity immigration racism. There Are uncertainties in Franco today and the National front is taking the  be pen offers himself As a solution. As in the Lime of Joan of arc a Miracle can pull Fiance from an unfortunate destiny he has said of his candidacy for president. Even if be pen s support continues to grow. Rioux added i m not sure that it is an ideological Victory for the extreme  some of la pen s sympathizer Are disenchanted conservatives and even communists who could to won Back by other parties Rioux said. But the problem is that neither the left nor the conservative right knows How to Lalk to them he said. Trade minister noir s views appearing in a front Page commentary in be Monde set off an open debate within Chirac s Cabinet about How to Deal with be pen. Chirac ordered silence and said his Center right majority could be True to its goals while not excluding voters sympathetic Lole pen. Noir and historian be Goh both argue Hal the notional front presents a double danger. In the Long the. They fear the be pen phenomenon will taint the climate of democratic France. In the Short term they fear to will Force the government to appease National front sympathizers with be pen style legislation. A recent Survey by the sores polling firm indicated that 56 percent of French people questioned considered be pen dangerous and 45 percent considered him fascist. However 25 percent of those ques lined thought be pen courageous and 10 percent described him As competent. To pen won t be  said Rioux. But in there is no answer to the very real questions being asked it s very possible he will make More