An anti-immigration techno song with lyrics about deporting foreigners has gone viral in France, where young voters are flocking to a right-wing party poised to win the upcoming election.
The song named Je Partira Pas, “I will not leave”, a reference to an older viral video of an immigrant shouting the phrase as he is forced to board a plane out of France, has been widely played and remixed on social media in recent days, especially on TikTok where it has accumulated millions of views.
“We have given you enough, now you can break. Good riddance, and don’t come back. ‘I won’t leave’, Yes, yes, you will leave. As you came, you will go away,” the song begins, before going on to mention right-wing National Rally (NR) party president Jordan Bardella.
Incredible things are happening France – A new wave of Jordan Bardella themed edits dubbed over women DJing
LYRICS:
“When Bardella comes to power,
You will return home,
You will put on your djellaba,You can pray all day long,
You’re starting to piss us off,
“I won’t leave”,… pic.twitter.com/TreqITgJA8— ɖʀʊӄքǟ ӄʊռʟɛʏ 🇧🇹🇹🇩 (@kunley_drukpa) June 21, 2024
“When will Bardella pass, you will return home, you will put on your djellaba, you can pray all day long, you’re starting to piss us off, ‘I won’t leave’, yes, yes you are leaving, and sooner than you think,” the song continues, according to a translation by independent reporter Drukpa Kunley.
Former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour on Thursday shared a clip of himself dancing along to the tune, while other videos have emerged of young Frenchwomen singing the lyrics on TikTok.
« Je partira pas » 🎶 pic.twitter.com/rl1lwotb0j
— Eric Zemmour (@ZemmourEric) June 26, 2024
Mr Bardella, who has 40.8 million followers on TikTok and has embraced the platform to win over younger voters, looks set to be France’s next prime minister with NR leading in the polls and far-left France Unbowed likely to come second.
French President Emmanuel Macron called a snap election two weeks ago after RN, led by Mr Bardella and Marine Le Pen, dominated his Renew alliance in the European elections, winning 31.4% of the vote to Mr Macron’s party’s 14.6%.
An estimated 30% of the 18-24 vote is expected to go to RN thanks to Mr Barella’s popularity, a larger proportion than usual for the youngest age group.
RN now looks likely to take power in France for the first time, although Mr Macron will continue on as president for almost three more years, resulting a a power-sharing situation if RN does triumph in the polls.
According to French media outlet BFMTV, the viral song was created by a Bardella-supporting TikTok account with the help of AI.
On Wednesday an anti-racist NGO filed a complaint with the platform, demanding videos featuring it be removed.
