‘The Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory by white nationalist writer Renaud Camus has been central to Eric Zemmour’s election campaign.

(Credit: Yasin Demirci/Anadolu Agency)

Elham Asaad Buaras

Two-thirds of French people believe in ‘The Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory which argues that white Christian Europeans are being ‘threatened with extinction’ from immigration from Muslim and African countries, according to an online poll.

Sixty per cent of the 2,544 people surveyed by Harris Interactive said such a scenario will ‘definitel’ or ‘probably’ play out in France according to the poll released ahead of next year’s election, where President Emmanuel Macron is almost certain to face off against one of two far-right candidates: Marine Le Pen or Eric Zemmou.

‘The Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory by white nationalist writer Renaud Camus has been central to Zemmour’s election campaign. 61 per cent of French people believe the ‘The Great Replacement’ could happen in France, with 27 per cent saying they are ‘certain’ it will take place.

Just 39 per cent of people said it ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ won’t happen. Of those who said it ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ will happen, support for the idea was roughly evenly split across all age groups and genders.

However, it varied widely depending on political affiliation.

More than 90 per cent of supporters of Le Pen’s RN party believed it was a likely scenario, while just 30 per cent of Green said the same.

52 per cent of Macron own party’s supporters believed it was a likely scenario. 67 per cent of those polled said they were worried about the idea.

The issue of migration and its impact on French identity is set to become a key theme of the upcoming election, as Zemmour – who has yet to declare his candidacy – threatens to usurp Le Pen for the chance to take on Macron.
Media pundit Zemmour, notorious for his anti-Islam and anti-migration views, is polling higher than Le Pen in some polls.

Zemmour sits openly on the far-right – declaring that suburbs of Paris are being ‘colonised’ by Muslim migrants with large families that he says will make up the majority of the population by the middle of the century.
Although statistics show that this argument is deeply flawed, polls show that it is resonating with voters.