The far-right candidate in the French presidential election has called for a total ban on the use of public education for refugee children.
“I’ve got nothing against foreigners but I say to them: if you come to our country, don’t expect that you will be taken care of, treated (by the health system) and that your children will be educated for free,” Le Pen said Thursday while addressing supporters in Paris.
Le Pen, who seeks to become the next French president on a platform of opposing refugees and withdrawing France from the European Union, had previously called for more restrictions on public services for refugees.
However, the call for a ban on public education could be Le Pen’s harshest so far.
“That’s finished now, it’s the end of playtime,” Le Pen said, warning all foreigners in France who use the public education system without paying tax that they should contribute in the future.
“We’re going to reserve our efforts and our national solidarity for the most humble, the most modest and the most poor among us,” said the leader of France’s National Front party.
In a later clarification to her controversial remarks, Le Pen told local media that she only wanted to block free education for illegal refugees in the country, not all foreigners.
Opinion polls show that Le Pen could finish second behind conservative hopeful Francois Fillon in next year’s presidential race, but she hopes for a turn of events in her country, especially after the shock victory of Donald Trump in US presidential election.
Some have suggested that France’s sickly economy and the general uncertainty governing the county’s political system could seriously boost Le Pen’s chances of taking power.
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