RN congress in Orléans: two freedoms face to face, and the Republic must guarantee both

Orléans is living through a double event this weekend. The Rassemblement national is holding its 19th congress there on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, while a broad coalition of trade unions, associations and left-wing parties is demonstrating against its presence. Between the two, the State has deployed a security operation rarely seen for a party gathering.

The facts

According to the party's official website, Saturday is to bring the results of the internal vote, held online until 22 October, to elect the president and the members of the National Council. On Sunday, the RN is announcing the first major rally of its presidential campaign. As LCP and Le JDD report, Jordan Bardella is the only candidate to succeed himself. Le JDD specifies that three speakers are scheduled on Sunday: Éric Ciotti, Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen. LCP mentions around 5,000 participants on Saturday and 10,000 on Sunday.

Facing the congress, Saturday morning's march brings together around fifty organisations according to LCP, and around seventy according to Politis, on the initiative of the CGT. According to AFP, the prefecture expects between 20,000 and 30,000 people. On Sunday, however, the prefect of the Loiret, Hugues Moutouh, has banned all demonstrations in Orléans, citing risks of violence. Politis and Mag'Centre report that an appeal has been lodged with the administrative court; its decision was not known at the time of writing.

The national context weighs heavily. After the 17 October day of action against the high cost of living, marked by looting, AFP reports that 70,000 police officers and gendarmes are mobilised across the country this Saturday.

A convicted candidate, a contested president

This congress opens against a double judicial and media backdrop. Marine Le Pen was convicted on appeal on 7 July 2026 in the European parliamentary assistants case. As Toute l'Europe explains, the non-suspended part of her ineligibility has already been served, which allows her to stand in April 2027. She has appealed to the Court of Cassation, which has indicated that it intends to rule before the first round.

Jordan Bardella, for his part, approaches his re-election under the weight of Mediapart's revelations. On 28 September, the newspaper published antisemitic messages sent on Facebook between 2013 and 2015, which it attributes to him. According to Public Sénat, Mediapart says it established their existence through a data extraction carried out by Meta. Euronews reports that the newspaper published further cross-checking evidence on 9 October. Jordan Bardella firmly disputes these writings, speaks of forgeries and has announced defamation complaints. No court decision has, at this stage, settled the dispute.

The positions at stake

The RN denounces an attempt to obstruct the democratic life of a party. According to LCP, Marine Le Pen says she has no concerns, and MP Laurent Jacobelli says he is calm, stating that he has received guarantees from the State. The argument deserves to be heard: the RN has a leading parliamentary group, and freedom of assembly cannot be divided.

The organisers of the counter-demonstration, for their part, claim the right to voice their rejection of a party they consider contrary to republican values. Politis reports their wish to be seen and heard by RN supporters. Manuel Bompard, for LFI, called according to LCP for "peaceful and non-violent" demonstrations. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, for his part, fears that Sunday's procession may seek to disrupt the rally.

The analysis

Two fundamental freedoms face each other in Orléans, and the Republic must guarantee both. A party has the right to assemble, even when its ideas are opposed. Citizens have the right to demonstrate, even against that party. The role of the State is not to choose between the two, but to make their coexistence possible.

This is why Sunday's blanket ban raises questions. The risk of unrest is real, with the prefecture citing, according to Politis, nearly 2,000 "radical" individuals. But a total ban remains a heavy measure, which the administrative judge reviews precisely because it restricts a public freedom. Supervising, filtering and securing the surroundings of the venue: that is the path most in keeping with our tradition.

It must also be said clearly: the RN is not fought by preventing it from speaking. Any violence against its activists would be a moral fault and a political gift. The Gaullist right has always held a simple line towards the far right: fight it at the ballot box and with ideas, never by force.

Then there is the substance. The RN hopes to take advantage of social anger, over the high cost of living, that the parties of government have failed to ease. It is not by crying danger that we will answer the French people who struggle to make ends meet, but by offering them decent wages, present public services and fair taxation.

What now?

Six months before the presidential election, the RN wants to make Orléans the showcase of a party ready to govern. Its opponents want to show that part of the country rejects that prospect. Both approaches are legitimate as long as they remain peaceful. The decisive question lies elsewhere: will republican forces be able to offer something other than a barrier against the RN, that is, a project capable of answering the anger that feeds it?

Article written with the help of artificial intelligence.