Zemmour Pledges to ‘Preserve French Civilization’

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

That’s one not-so-mysterious enigma cleared up. Eric Zemmour, the French TV pundit who’s been sanctioned for inciting racial hatred, has finally thrown his hat into the ring to fight Emmanuel Macron in April’s presidential election. Zemmour pitched his widely expected candidacy with a pledge to prevent “the disappearance of our civilization.” At stake is also France’s turn as EU council president in the first half of next year. Read our profile of Zemmour, who has described the children of Muslim migrants as murderers, rapists and thieves pushing France toward civil war. At first sight, he stands no chance as rivals have long rallied to prevent a far-right presidential win. He’s also down in opinion polls. But he could regain momentum, end up in the second round instead of Marine Le Pen, or split the far-right vote enough to allow a center-right figure to make it to the run-off. Zemmour’s next task? Prove by February that he has the backing of 500 elected officials, a legal requirement to run for president.