The announcement posted at the Kremlin’s official English language website says:
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ms Le Pen, this is not your first time in Moscow, and I am pleased to welcome you here. I am aware that you came at the invitation of the State Duma – the parliament of the Russian Federation.
We value highly our relations with France and try to maintain good relations with incumbent government and the opposition.
I am, of course, aware of the ongoing election campaign in France. In no case do we want to influence the events as they unfold, but we reserve the right to communicate with all representatives of all political forces in France, just like our partners in Europe and the United States are doing.
Of course, it would be very interesting to exchange opinions with you on our bilateral relations and the situation in Europe. I know that you represent a European political force that is growing quickly.
I am very pleased to see you.
Marine Le Pen got the VIP treatment in Moscow today but she looks a bit stunned in that photo shaking hands with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Was she still wondering what the hell happened in the Presidential debate on Monday night?
With Round One of the election a month away, the top five candidates appeared together, live, for a 3 ½ hour long debate on TF1 last Monday.
- Jean-Luc Mélenchon — La France Insoumise (No, he’s not a Communist)
- Emmanuel Macron — En Marche! (Former Socialist, now a Centrist, was an investment banker)
- Marine Le Pen — Front National (It’s official. You may refer to her as a fascist)
- François Fillon — Les Républicains (Former frontrunner charged with criminal embezzlement)
- Benoît Hamon — Parti Socialiste (Stands with the Left wing of his fractured party)
Macron is considered the most likely to become the next President of the French Republic with a lead of 61.5% to 38.5% when matched against Le Pen in polling for Round Two of the election. He was trailing Le Pen closely in polling for Round One. He’s in the lead now. This is his first campaign for public office. He wasn’t expected to perform well against Le Pen's aggressive debate tactics but he left her speechless.
Before the debate, Mélenchon and Hamon, the two candidates on the Left, pledged to remain harmonious and the first hour passed with little friction at all from any of the candidates.
Marine Le Pen threw the first stone as she was answering a question about ‘la laïcité', the separation of Church and State. Fillon appeared distracted but there was disbelief on the faces of the other three as Le Pen described her vision which was all about Muslims (TF1 screen grab above.) There would be no Muslim garb anywhere, and maybe no Muslims if Le Pen had her way. Turning to Macron, she gleefully declared, “Burkinis would be banned. I know you like burkinis, Monsieur Macron.” (The burkini is swimwear similar to a wetsuit. It covers the body from neck to ankles and some Muslim women wear it to the beach in France.)
Macron exploded. He said he didn’t need a ventriloquist and that he had no problem speaking for himself about where he stands on the issues. Women wear whatever they like in France.
He went on to deliver an emphatic lecture about ‘la laïcité', what it is and what it isn’t. Freedom to believe or not believe without persecution, it's not a tool for Le Pen to practice her bigotry on France’s 5 million Muslim citizens. (That’s not Le Pen blinking in the TF1 screen grab. She closed her eyes and kept them closed, in retreat, as Macron lashed out. It’s one of the dramatic gestures she uses.)
Here’s another gesture Le Pen uses for dramatic effect in debates. The exaggerated shrug with palms facing outward which tells the audience she has no idea what Macron is going on about. Mélenchon has seen this monster before and his posture as he stares at her says it all.
Macron isn’t done. He has a point that goes beyond secularism. He says that Le Pen talks about Islam like it’s a threat to stir people up with fear, anger, and hate and what she does is a provocation to incite violence and to divide the country and it’s people against each other.
Mélenchon punctuated Macron’s speech with an arm stretched out, his index finger pointing straight at Le Pen as he growled in disgust, “He’s talking about you.”
Macron stopped just short of declaring Le Pen an enemy of the State. She acted out another dramatic gesture, turning to face away from him for a minute as if she was deciding whether to bolt from the studio set. That may have been real, not acting, because Le Pen appeared to be in a state of shock for the next hour of the debate.
Mélenchon lightened the mood with one of his quips and Le Pen was herself again just before the end of the show. The topic was foreign policy and it was Macron’s turn to speak.
As Macron talked about keeping the European Union together, and preserving the alliance with Germany, Le Pen talked over him with non-stop insults acting out her disdain. What were Hamon and Mélechon doing here? Texting?
Macron struggled but Le Pen mocked him until she distracted him with her comments. She said:
“You’ve been speaking for seven minutes and I can’t recap your thoughts because you haven’t said anything. Empty. Like a void. Empty as the void of outer space. You have a talent for speaking without saying anything. A little of this. A little of that. But it’s nothing.”
Hamon and Mélenchon kept their heads down while Le Pen enjoyed her moment. Whatever they were doing, they lifted their heads at exactly the same time, turned to face either and their eyes met.
“Russia, what about Russia?” Mélenchon called it out first. Then, Hamon, "Yeah, what about Russia."
“Russia. Russia, Russia.”
Macron started reciting Le Pen’s own words. “A sovereign and independent France for the French people.”
He claimed the ideals she expresses and lies about. And then, he said, “the difference between you and me is that I don’t want to be compromised by Vladimir Putin.”
I think that’s his index finger pointing straight up.