For the past 10 days, the French haven't been able to stop talking about Jean-Marie Le Pen's unexpected success at the polls. Everywhere. At work, at the cafe. And on the internet.
The results for the first round of the presidential election appalled the French, with Le Pen, the far-right leader, gaining 16.86% of the vote. Many were expected to demonstrate in the streets yesterday, on Labour Day, and over the past 10 days, the internet community has also reacted strongly.
New sites have been rushed up, jokes and hoaxes circulated and online petitions signed. "The social movement we have in France is relayed on the internet, but it was born in the street," says Olivier Blondeau, a sociologist who has been studying social affairs on the web since the 1995 strikes.
"The internet enables people to organise demonstrations, saying what happens where and when. We saw that also for the Seattle and Genoa demonstrations. While political parties and trade unions want to unite people for Labour Day, most of the other sites promote continuous social agitation," says Blondeau.
Ras l'front has been a leading group against Le Pen's party since 1991. "We have been overwhelmed since Sunday April 21, 8pm," says Erwin Bliesenick, webmaster for Ras l'front. "The internet is the right tool to inform on demonstrations and for people to express what they think of the election."
Graphic artists have taken to the web in great numbers, too, to express their feelings. It is the first time this profession has gained such a political visibility on the web. A dedicated site has appeared.
On political parties' and candidates' sites, discussion forums have exploded. The Lionel Jospin website recorded more than 30,000 contributions on a dedicated forum in 10 days. The website reads: "The Socialist party asks its voters to block the far right's way, voting for the candidate Chirac on May 5th." Notably, Jospin himself is not asking for socialist voters to vote for his former rival.
Meanwhile, the Greens are asking their supporters to vote for Chirac and sign an online petition, saying: "We will not vote for Chirac, but against Le Pen." So far, 1,400 have added their names. Movie directors and political science students have launched petitions, too. Media websites have been overloaded. On Monday, April 22, the first working day after the result, lemonde.fr and tf1.fr recorded more than a million visitors each, more than they saw on September 12.
Liberation.fr tripled its traffic, with 361,000 visits. Lefigaro.fr, the website of the only national right wing newspaper, saw a big rise, too, with 187,000 visitors, compared to 45,000 on a normal day. Political parties and trade unions are offering downloadable kits with posters and stickers in an attempt to motivate voters. But the web works for all sides of the political argument. The National Front is offering surfers documents detailing its position on immigration and the family. And Le Pen has even spoken of how the internet offers a way round what he sees as a media conspiracy to force the country to vote against him in the second round of the polls.
"Some national media try to impose on the people their choice for the second round. The internet is one of the last places for freedom; it is also a remarkable tool for militancy."
