The drug war in Marseille is reshaping the French political landscape

Violence in the drug trafficking area of ​​the social housing complex next to the Orange Telecom headquarters in Marseille forced the company to close its doors and transfer thousands of its employees to work from home.

The disruption of such a well-known company has become a new indicator of how the drug trade and insecurity are reshaping politics ahead of municipal elections. In a recent opinion poll, security ranked first among voters’ concerns, forcing candidates from different backgrounds to provide different responses to the drug trade.

“The first issue is security,” said Martine Vassal, a center-right candidate. In the square, what I hear most is people telling me that they no longer travel in the city center for this reason.”

France’s rival political parties are watching closely for evidence of the broader battles shaping up for the 2027 presidential race. In many ways, Marseille is a microcosm of France as a whole, reflecting the country’s broader demographics and its biggest political battles. There is diversity in the city, and multicultural, low-income neighborhoods that tend to support the hard left juxtapose conservative suburbs that have turned to the far right in recent years. As is the case in much of France, support for the political center in Marseille fluctuates.

March elections

The current leftist candidate, Benoit Payen, remains the favorite in the March elections, but Franck Alessio, the candidate of the far-right National Rally party, is slightly behind him, with both receiving about 30% of the votes.

The issues at hand strike at the heart of Marseille’s identity: the notorious drug trade, entrenched poverty, and the failure to capitalize on the competitive advantages of a young, sunny city strategically located on the Mediterranean.

Any candidate who can craft an election platform that addresses Marseille’s local realities while addressing concerns shared across France will be well placed to win the mayor’s office and provide his party with a potential plan for the 2027 presidential campaign.

Marseille has long suffered from a “little brother” complex towards Paris, a feeling of resentment that goes beyond the football rivalry between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille. Many in the city view the French capital as a distant power center trying to impose its solutions on Marseille without adequately consulting local experts.

In this context, Alessio says: “Paris treats Marseille almost as if it were a colony,” adding: “A place you visit and make promises without any guarantee that the money will be spent one day.”

When it comes to drug trafficking and security, leaders across the political spectrum agree that Paris is prescribing a medicine that addresses the symptoms of the crisis, not its causes.

Violence linked to the drug trade returned to the spotlight in November with the killing of 20-year-old Mehdi Kesasi. The authorities are investigating the crime as an act of intimidation. Mehdi’s brother, Amin Kisasi, is one of the city’s most prominent anti-trafficking activists, and rose to fame after his brother, who was involved in trafficking, was killed several years ago.

President Emmanuel Macron, Interior Minister Laurent Nonier, and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin visited Marseille in the wake of Kissasi’s killing, where they outlined a tough anti-crime plan to stop violence and the flow of drugs.

Law and order

Local residents stress that investments in law and order must be matched by funding for public services. Unless the authorities improve the stagnant economy that has encouraged unemployed youth to turn to drug trafficking, the problem will persist.

“Repression alone is not effective,” said Kawthar Bin Mohammed, a former social worker turned activist. If that were the case, the drug trade would not have flourished as it does now.”

Housing is another problem, with many poor residents living in dangerous and dilapidated buildings. Mahboubi Ter, a tall young man with a remarkable physique, said: “We live in a dirty city. “We are not safe here.”

Ter spent a month in a coma and several more months in the hospital last April, after he was assaulted during a parking dispute, and his face was still swollen and disfigured when he spoke to Politico about how the incident had reshaped his relationship with the city in which he grew up.

Security problem

It remains unclear to what extent activist groups in Marseille can bring about change in a city beset by decades of conflict, but the four main candidates for mayor agree on a similar diagnosis. They all believe that the horrific crime stories making national headlines are the result of a lack of jobs and neglect of public services, and that the French state’s responses are falling short. Instead of relying on harsher penalties as a deterrent, they believe the state should prioritize local policing and public investment.

When Payan announced his candidacy for re-election, he pledged to provide free meals to 15,000 students and double the number of local police as part of a campaign to strengthen community policing. In contrast, Alessio’s plan focuses on security-related spending and includes “increasing video surveillance, providing more vehicles for local police, and creating specialized units to combat robbery and public disturbances.”

For her part, Vassal, who belongs to the center-right and is supported by the conservative “Republicans” party and parties allied with Macron, presented a similar proposal to arm public transportation monitors and inspectors. About “Politico”

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Unspecified spending cuts

Frank Alessio and Martin Vassal call for unspecified spending cuts while maintaining basic services provided at the local level, such as schools, public transportation, parks and recreation.

Vassall, who is ranked third in opinion polls, said she would make public transport free for residents under the age of 26 to travel through the sprawling city.

The current administration is accused of not issuing a sufficient number of building permits, which has slowed the development of new housing and office buildings, thus hindering the revitalization of the most affected areas of Marseille, a trend it has pledged to change.

Both Vassal and Alessio are calling for lower local property taxes to boost small businesses and create new jobs, and Alessio has also put forth a proposal to make parking of less than 30 minutes free to facilitate deliveries and quick stops to purchase produce.

. The disruption of a well-known company like Orange has become a new indicator of how the drug trade and insecurity are reshaping politics ahead of municipal elections.

. Rival French political parties are watching closely for clues to the broader battles shaping up for the 2027 presidential race.