Drunken Revelries in France Accused of Being Fronts for Right-Wing Political Rallies

A French banquet production company founded during the COVID pandemic to help out distressed winemakers is facing calls to be disbanded after accusations by left-wing politicians that the events are held in support of a far-right agenda designed to make Muslims — and vegetarians — feel unwelcome.The enormous parties, which include a dress-code of traditional French attire and pork-heavy feasts typical of French cuisine, lost their credibility, say left-wing critics, when the host organization, Le Canon Français, accepted conservative entrepreneur Pierre-Édouard Stérin as an investor. Mr. Stérin, a self-made billionaire who earned his fortune in the early 2000s by selling gift cards redeemable for experiences, recently bought into Le Canon Français, founded by entrepreneurs Géraud de la Tour and Pierre-Alexandre de Boisse at Tours in 2021. Mr. Stérin, who was barely a blip on the political radar before launching the Périclès project in 2024, is a traditionalist Catholic who seeks re-migration of Muslims to their home countries. He has invested in conservative media projects and in the purchase of the Paris family home of far-right nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen, whose daughter, Marine Le Pen, leads the National Rally party. Last week, Mr. Stérin, who has lived in Belgium since 2012 in protest to France’s tax laws, emerged to face a parliamentary inquiry over his financing of political causes. He denied doing anything wrong.But members of the Socialist party and the left-wing La France Insoumise, or French Unbowed Party, says his investment has shifted the nature of the cannon’s events to political circuses from festivals.“If they were in good faith, Le Canon Français would never have accepted Stérin as an investor. But they did — they took his money,” an LFI member of the European Union, Emma Fourreau, told the BBC. “And that is because they share the same political ecosystem, whose aim is to bring the far right to power.”Le Canon Français banquets have exploded across the countryside since its founding. Now hosting thousands of people in hangar-size facilities like castles and exhibition centers, the en-masse dining is reminiscent of the post-monarchy era when banquets républicains celebrated the nation’s newfound liberty. The meals — held at communal tables 50-guests long — cost around $70 per person to attend. The cuisine — and four drink tickets that come with the entry fee — is produced by local vendors where the events are held and are designed to bring people out of their social media-driven malaise.At a recent event at Colmar in Alsace, the raucous banquet did turn political when local mayoral candidates attended the 3,500-strong fête, though many in attendance said they were there to participate in the circus-like merrymaking, where musicians and rugby teams alike spontaneously burst into song and dance. Mr. de Boisse said the cannon’s events are open to anyone and that may include some ne’er-do-wells. He acknowledged that the group is investigating reports that Nazi salutes and insults were hurled by revelers at wait staff during an event at Caen on April 18, but he insists that the events are planned without any political agenda.“Of course we cannot police the minds of all the people who come. And occasionally maybe someone drunk says something stupid. But our rules are quite clear and set out in the charter, to which everyone signs up when they buy a ticket,” he said. Mr. de Boisse added elsewhere that he believes the controversy emerged as a result of the news coverage more than any actual politically aligned mischief. While guests on social media rave about the event and dismissively laugh off the “horror” of waving the French flag and wearing berets, LFI supporters are holding demonstrations, calling the events fascism in disguise. The organization’s social media channels have mostly ignored the criticisms but called accusations of Mr. Stérin’s right-wing influence — and efforts to instigate controversy where none exists — the rantings of individuals who have never seen capitalism at work. “Let’s say it again: we do what we want, but the fact is, not a single euro from ANYONE funds or has funded a banquet except for the money from CUSTOMERS who buy their tickets,” the group wrote in an X post. “We advise those who still don’t get it to go work a bit in a company, or even start one—everything will become crystal clear in no time.”

Drunken Revelries in France Accused of Being Fronts for Right-Wing Political Rallies

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