- Title: France's far right taps into security fears in Marseille mayoral race
- Date: 12th March 2026
- Summary: MARSEILLE, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 23, 2026) (REUTERS) NATIONAL RALLY FAR-RIGHT PARTY CANDIDATE FOR MARSEILLE MAYOR, FRANCK ALLISIO, WALKING IN STREET ALLISIO SPEAKING WITH MARSEILLE RESIDENT (SOUNDBITE) (French) MARSEILLE RESIDENT AND WASTE MANAGEMENT WORKER, ERIC PLAZA, SAYING: "I think I'll be voting for him yes, I think I'll vote for him because Marseille really needs a man l
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: France elections Local elections Marseille Mayor National Rally far-right
- Location: MARSEILLE, FRANCE
- City: MARSEILLE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA005304311032026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Security and drug trafficking have surged to the forefront of political debate in Marseille, as France’s second‑largest city prepares to choose its next mayor later this month. A recent Ifop poll suggests the race is now wide open, with far‑right National Rally (RN) candidate Franck Allisio running neck‑and‑neck with outgoing Socialist mayor Benoit Payan.
The prominence of security in the campaign has sharpened attention on the city’s northern districts, where residents have long complained of deteriorating living conditions alongside the grip of trafficking networks.
In Le Mail, a decaying condominium at the edge of La Busserine, one resident says drug dealers have taken over parts of the area. She asked not to be named for safety reasons. She shows what she says is a bullet hole, still marking her shutters from a shooting that happened years ago.
“My children told me: why call the police? They won’t do anything,” she said. “It’s dirty, there’s no heating, the hot water stops all the time. My dream now is to leave this place.”
Scenes like these have played heavily into Allisio’s campaign. His posters promising “Order for Marseille” are plastered across the city. Allisio describes Marseille as a “narco‑city” and accuses the outgoing mayor of doing nothing to stem trafficking.
His flagship promise is the creation of a municipal anti‑drug brigade, a force he says would support national police in their efforts to fight drug-trafficking rings.
Some voters say they are ready for a change. Eric Plaza, a waste‑management worker, says he plans to back Allisio. “Marseille needs a man like him,” he said. “He represents us very well.”
Police data show drug-related killings have fallen after a peak in 2023, but the murders have shocked residents.
Payan rejects the RN’s proposals. Speaking from his campaign headquarters, he argues that mayors have almost no authority over drug trafficking, which is handled by national services.
“It’s a lie to make people believe a mayor has any power whatsoever over this issue,” he said. “The far right is playing on fears. What it proposes is practically nothing, or things that are completely unrealistic.”
Payan has brought anti‑drug campaigner Amine Kessaci onto his list, pushing a platform that frames drug violence as a symptom of deeper social neglect. Kessaci, who lost his two brothers in drug-trafficking killings, says lasting progress depends on improving housing, transport, education and access to healthcare.
“We will respond to drug trafficking with everything that creates dignity in the neighbourhoods,” he said. “Security is just one drop in the ocean.”
In La Busserine, long‑time resident and volunteer Fadella Ouidef says she worries an RN victory would cut funding for the associations and community centres many families rely on.
“If the far right wins, it will be disastrous for us,” she said. “They think that by creating more social hardship they’ll create security. It will create more hardship, and more crime.”
As Marseille’s campaign enters its final stretch, voters across the city, from the waterfront to the northern estates, are weighing two sharply different views of how to restore safety. For many, the outcome will shape not only the political map, but the future of neighbourhoods long left behind.
(Production: Juliette Jabkhiro, Manon Cruz, Lucien Libert) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None