RN volunteers hung campaign posters featuring leader Marine Le Pen and the party's charismatic president Jordan Bardella. Photo: JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images
Many young voters say the main parties are out of touch with their issues — at worst, they barely speak their language.
It's an opportunity that has been successfully exploited AfD and RN. Their weapon of choice was Tiktok, the video-sharing app dominated by Generation Z.
All of Mr. Bardella's official travel is accompanied by a team responsible for maintaining his Instagram and TikTok accounts, which are followed by 1.5 million and 615,000 subscribers, respectively.
Analysts say he emulated the style of a social media influencer rather than that of a political party chief.
“We have invested a lot in social media. This is a way of communicating with young people. In these elections, I am trying to politicize the youth,” Mr. Bardella told France Inter last week.
His tailored suits (from Dutch brand Suit Supply, known for its affordable prices) are quite fitted. to show off your fitness from regular gym sessions. Aides admit that the politician with a neat boy-next-door image is «obsessed» with his appearance and has been known to throw a tantrum if his shirt collar is out of place.
“There is a cult of personality around Bardella on social media. He is everywhere and looks charming, charismatic, handsome, like a reality TV star,” said Lola, 18, a left-leaning Parisian who admitted that Mr. Bardella was one step ahead in the social media space.
“Of course, his young, handsome side and his Tiktok make me laugh, but that’s not why I voted for him,” said Sarah, 25, a native of Seine-Saint-Denis and of Moroccan descent.
“He says things in no uncertain terms. He talks about security and immigration.»
Young people follow his news about youth violence, inflation eroding their parents' purchasing power, the decline of public services in rural areas and the problems facing young farmers.
They often conveniently blame scapegoats such as like Brussels and immigrants. One video he posted, condemning France's «insult» following the April death of a teenager stabbed to death by an Afghan teenager in Chateauroux, has been viewed nearly 5 million times. Another widely circulated video simply shows him eating sweets.
Many commentators were shocked that Maximilian Kra, the leading AFD candidate in the European elections, was able to ignore a series of scandals in the mainstream press, ranging from the hiring of a Chinese spy to claim that not all SS members were «criminals».
But on TikTok, the stories barely resonated.
Instead, Mr. Kra can be seen adopting the style of Andrew Tate, an avid misogynist and «masculinity» influencer, in his appeal to young voters .
“Every third young man in Germany has never had a girlfriend. Are you one of them?» asks Mr. Cra.
«Don't watch porn, don't vote Green, get some fresh air. Be confident in yourself. And above all, don't believe that you you need to be sweet and soft. Real men stand on the extreme right. Real men are patriots! This is how you can find a girl! «
@maximilian_krah Max Krah #AfD über die Issuee und Werte junger #Männer ♬ Close Eyes — DVRST < p>In another post, Mr. Kra again addressed youth with a direct message about the war in Ukraine.
“ The war in Ukraine is not your war. Zelensky is not your president,” he says. “But it costs you money, and you risk dragging Germany into this war.”
Thanks to videos like this, the AfD now reaches more young people on TikTok than all other parties combined. Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, looked out of touch as he posted his first video of the year on the platform, showing off his tattered briefcase.
Philipp Jessen, founder of PR agency Storymachine in Germany, told The Telegraph: “The dark side of power always understands new media first.”
“TikTok is a window for right-wing radicals into our homes. The AfD communicates with our children as we do, as if they were close family members… telling them stories for hours every day.
“It makes me angry that the [mainstream] “democratic” parties cannot understand how important this is . It's not rocket science, but they concentrate on the traditional media, so they shouldn't wonder why they're missing out on the youth vote.»
Jean-Yves Camus, a political scientist, expressed a stereotype that most young people wanted to vote for the Greens or the Left or for “altruistic reasons” was wrong and outdated.
“It sounds simplistic, but in France there are young people who need order, who are losing the meaning of the vertical, who are looking for power,” — he said.
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