'Maxi merde': French presidential campaign rattled by a week of chaos

PARIS — French schools are getting torched. The far right’s brightest star is fighting for his political life after being accused of antisemitic remarks. And economic indicators are flashing bright red to warn of a potential sovereign debt disaster in the country. The crises that have rocked France in recent days are exacerbating partisan cleavages in the country’s increasingly no-holds-barred presidential campaign. In the words of one government adviser: “It’s the maxi merde.” Though that individual, who was granted anonymity to candidly discuss the current situation, was only referring to the increasingly violent demonstrations outside secondary schools and the government’s slow-footed response to them, it’s a sentiment likely shared by French voters after a week of particularly bleak headlines. If there are political winners, it’s not immediately clear who they are. Establishment candidates and moderate voices are still struggling to seize the narrative from far-right presidential front-runner Marine Le Pen and her surging far-left challenger Jean-Luc Mélenchon — both of whom want to fundamentally reshape France and its relationship with Europe. A survey by pollster Odoxa this week found that the French disapprove of the government’s handling of the student school protests, but they also disapprove of Mélenchon and his far-left party France Unbowed’s involvement. Mélenchon and his allies have supported the demonstrators and joined them outside sc…