Who's funding France's far right?

RNG · April 12th, 2017, 09:35 AM

@coke - @Sabcat:

You commie haters should love this.

Quote:

When Marine Le Pen appeared in the Kremlin on 24 March, it was Vladimir Putin himself who gave voice to the thought that was surely on many people's minds:

"I know that the presidential campaign is developing actively in France," the Russian president said, adding: "Of course, we do not want to influence events in any way."

The Russian president appeared to be suppressing a grin as he spoke those words. Marine Le Pen appeared unperturbed.

She repeated her support for Moscow's annexation of Crimea, and her opposition to the sanctions subsequently imposed by the EU. If elected to the Elysee Palace, she pledged: "I would envisage lifting the sanctions quite quickly."

So the meeting was a win for both. Madame Le Pen looked like a world-leader-in-waiting; Mr Putin received assurances from a woman who might become president of France, and who, like him, opposes the EU and Nato.

But there is more to the relationship between Mr Putin and Ms Le Pen than ideological convergence. Because of the National Front's racist and anti-Semitic past, French banks have declined to lend the party money.

So Marine Le Pen has been forced to look elsewhere for financing.

In 2014, the National Front took Russian loans worth €11m (£9.4m). One of the loans, for €9m, came from a small bank, First Czech Russian Bank, with links to the Kremlin.

The loan was brokered by Jean-Luc Schaffhauser, an energy consultant turned MEP, who has called himself "Mr Mission Impossible".

-~-

But Russia did want to use Ms Le Pen to legitimise its actions in Crimea. We know this because a group of Russian hackers, known as Shaltai Boltai, or Humpty Dumpty, published a series of text messages said to be between a Kremlin official and a Russian MP.

The exchanges, which took place in mid-March 2014, shows the pair discussing the possibility of Marine Le Pen travelling to Crimea as an observer in the referendum which would lead to Crimea's annexation.

"We really need this, I told my boss you were in contact with her," the Kremlin official says.

Marine Le Pen didn't go to Crimea. Instead she publicly backed the results of the referendum, a fact that delighted the Kremlin official and the MP.

"She didn't let us down," says one text, followed by a smiley-face.
"We must find some way of demonstrating our respect to the French," comes the reply.

Some believe the €9m loan, which was made later that year, was indeed a reward for Ms Le Pen's support over Crimea.

"For me, there is no doubt that [the loan] was authorised by Kremlin," said Mikhail Kasyanov, who was prime minister under Vladimir Putin before he joined the opposition.

Marine Le Pen: Who's funding France's far right? - BBC News

hot dragon · April 12th, 2017, 04:03 PM

of course french, or other european banks could have given her the loan, but they wanted to play politics. now they whinge that russia got involved and is also playing politics. ironic that it was russia that supported free speech in the face of europe who tried to silence it.

unless there is another jihadi attack in france in the next few weeks, le pen will lose the election. but the policies of her opponents are basically 'more of the same' and its failing now, its going to fail for the next 5 years too. all she has to do is wait, and say 'told you so' and she will likely win the next election.

Sabcat · April 12th, 2017, 05:46 PM

What's your point!

excalibur · April 12th, 2017, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabcat

What's your point!

Who is Trudeau?

Alex, I'll take stupid Canadians for $2000.



April 12th, 2017, 04:03 PM	#2
hot dragon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: australia Posts: 9,215	of course french, or other european banks could have given her the loan, but they wanted to play politics. now they whinge that russia got involved and is also playing politics. ironic that it was russia that supported free speech in the face of europe who tried to silence it. unless there is another jihadi attack in france in the next few weeks, le pen will lose the election. but the policies of her opponents are basically 'more of the same' and its failing now, its going to fail for the next 5 years too. all she has to do is wait, and say 'told you so' and she will likely win the next election. Thanks from Sabcat and coke

April 12th, 2017, 05:46 PM	#3
Sabcat Celebrating diversity Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Earth Posts: 21,943	What's your point! Thanks from excalibur and coke

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