In the streets of Carcassonne, men in green are busy sweeping, picking up, cutting, and trimming. Meanwhile, the men in blue patrol, armed and visible. The new mayor of the city, Christophe Barthès from the far-right National Rally (RN) party, is keeping his campaign promise to “Clean in front of our fellow citizens’ doors, literally and figuratively.”
Sitting on a terrace of a café near the Jacobins gate, a small group of sixty-year-olds enjoy some drinks. Didier praises the mayor, saying he is very friendly and a man of the people. Despite the city’s UNESCO World Heritage status and its beauty, there is an air of desolation in the city that shines under the bright sun, burdened with depressing ideas.
Post-industrialization, unemployment, and poverty are the breeding grounds for the RN party in Carcassonne. From the medieval gate, the Gare Street leads to the main commercial axis of the city, where about half of the stores are closed, covered with signs saying “For rent” or “For sale.” According to Denis Renard from the PCF federation of Aude, Carcassonne has the highest per capita hypermarket surface area in France. The three common factors fueling RN’s vote are deindustrialization, unemployment, and extreme poverty, with Aude being the third metropolitan department with the highest poverty rate, reaching 25% in Carcassonne.
Residents like Jeanne, part of the 40.4% who voted for the far-right party in the municipal elections, believe the new mayor will revitalize the city center.
