No school for illegal children, says Le Pen

French right-wing leader suggests refusing education

PARIS // French far-right leader Marine Le Pen yesterday proposed that the children of illegal immigrants should be refused public school places as part of tough proposals to restrict state services.

“I’ve got nothing against foreigners but I say to them: if you come to our country, don’t expect that you will be taken care of, treated [by the health system] and that your children will be educated for free,” Ms Le Pen told a conference organised by a polling group in Paris.

“That’s finished now, it’s the end of playtime.”

The leader of the National Front (FN) is forecast by opinion polls to finish second in next year’s presidential election but she is hoping for greater momentum after the victory of Donald Trump in the United States.

She later clarified that she only wanted to block education for immigrants who were in the country illegally, not all foreigners. But she said that any foreigner using the public education system without paying tax in France should have to contribute. “We’re going to reserve our efforts and our national solidarity for the most humble, the most modest and the most poor among us,” she said.

The FN regularly criticises the use of France’s social security system by foreigners, arguing that French people should be prioritised.

Ms Le Pen falsely claimed yesterday that anyone aged over 65 could arrive in France and start claiming old-age social security payments.

Few analysts believe the FN leader will take power in next year’s election, but the past 12 months have been unpredictable in politics and France’s sickly economy and immigration are top issues for voters. Ms Le Pen wants France out of the European Union and has called for a referendum on membership.

The presidential candidate for the right-wing Republicans party, Francois Fillon, has also taken a tough line on immigration in his programme, promising to reduce it to a “strict minimum” and calling on newcomers to adapt to French culture.

He rejected the idea of “multiculturalism” and insisted France must defend its traditions, language and identity.