# France's campaign spirals as crises pile up

> School violence, antisemitic allegations and debt fears are roiling the French presidential race, with populist candidates dominating the chaos.
- Title: France's campaign spirals as crises pile up · POLITICO
- Summary: School violence, antisemitic allegations and debt fears are roiling the French presidential race, with populist candidates dominating the chaos. France faces…
- Keywords: marine le pen, jean-luc mélenchon, france unbowed, national rally, jordan bardella, french presidential campaign, school protests, antisemitic allegations, french debt crisis, emmanuel macron, politics, world
- Source: POLITICO — https://politico.eu/article/maxi-merde-french-presidential-campaign-rattled-by-a-week-of-chaos
- Published: 2026-10-02T16:59:21+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: marine le pen, jean-luc mélenchon, france unbowed, national rally, jordan bardella, french presidential campaign, school protests, antisemitic allegations, french debt crisis, emmanuel macron, politics, world
## Schools burning as France fractures
French schools are being torched amid increasingly violent demonstrations outside secondary schools. The government's slow response is fueling partisan divisions in the presidential campaign.
## Bardella fights antisemitic allegations
Jordan Bardella, the National Rally party president and heir apparent to Marine Le Pen, is accused of sending antisemitic messages on Facebook Messenger when he was seventeen. Bardella denies the allegations and vowed to sue Mediapart, the outlet that published them.
## Mediapart publishes verification
Mediapart published a second story Thursday outlining how it verified the antisemitic allegations against Bardella, including screenshots and conversation data downloaded directly from Meta with the help of their sources.
## Mélenchon's allies join the protests
Mélenchon's allies from France Unbowed have joined demonstrators outside schools, saying they were there to show support and protect minors from confrontations with police. The government and political opponents accuse them of fanning the flames of violence, allegations they deny.
## Le Pen blames far left for chaos
Marine Le Pen blamed agitators for stirring up violence at the protests and accused France Unbowed of giving a helping hand to agents of chaos and insurrection. The National Rally sees the crisis as an opportunity to convince voters it is best for public safety.

> giving a helping hand to agents of chaos and insurrection
## Budget crisis looms over campaign
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's minority government introduced a two thousand twenty-seven budget with forty-three billion euros worth of savings to reassure markets about France's massive debt and high budget deficit. Borrowing costs have reached their highest levels since two thousand eight.
## Centrists caught in the fallout
The spread between French ten-year bonds and German ones shot above one hundred fifty basis points on Friday, a level not seen in years. A Renaissance MP said centrist presidential hopefuls Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal will struggle to escape the fallout from the budget crisis.
## Mélenchon calls for more protests
Mélenchon has called for his party officials to join more protests planned for next Tuesday to protect pupils against alleged police violence. The move could propel him to center stage but risks backfiring if he is seen as taking part in the unrest.
## Key takeaway

France faces simultaneous crises in school protests, far-right candidate scandal and sovereign debt concerns, strengthening populist candidates Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon ahead of the presidential election.