Posted on February 2, 2025

The ‘Submersion’ of France

Gregory Hood, American Renaissance, February 2, 2025


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The precursor to the Alternative Right was the European New Right, which was largely French: Alain de Benoist, Guillaume Faye, Dominique Venner, and others whose ideas migrated from the Continent to America. European influence on American nationalism may have declined, though one concept that has become mainstream is Renaud Camus’ “The Great Replacement.”

The Great Replacement is a common topic among Trump supporters, white nationalists, and even liberal reporters, though they can’t decide whether it is a racist conspiracy theory or a successful policy they should applaud. Congressional Democrats tried to pass a resolution against even discussing it.

There is now another French term Americans should adopt: “submersion.” Prime Minister Francois Bayrou recently infuriated the French Left when he used it in a speech. “Foreign contributions are positives for a people, so long as they don’t exceed a proportion,” he said. “But as soon as you get the feeling of submersion, of no longer recognizing your own country, its lifestyle and its culture, from that instant you get rejection.” He said this was already the feeling in certain French cities and regions.

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou. (Credit Image: © Alexis Sciard/IP3 via ZUMA Press)

Eric Zemmour of the Reconquest party talked about “submersion” during his presidential campaign. The late Jean-Marie Le Pen was the first to popularize the term, warning about “the risk of migratory submersion.” After a mass landing of migrants at Lampedusa in 2023, Bruno Retailleau, president of the French Republicans in the Senate, said there was a “form of submersion in the real sense of the term.”

Prime Minister Bayrou did not directly back down when French lefties yelled. However, he later claimed he was referring to the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, where immigrants are swarming in from the neighboring Comoro islands.

Leftists refused to believe him. Green Party parliamentary leader Cyrielle Chatelain said she was “extremely shocked” by the “shameful remarks,” and called submersion “a false idea fueled by the far right.” The left-wing leader of the LFI party, Mathilde Panot, called it “racist.”

Even the Macronist president of the National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, said, “I would never have made such statements and I am embarrassed by them.” However, Sebastian Chenu, vice president of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, said the comments were proof they had won the “ideological battle.”

Leftists are probably right to squelch any discussion of this kind. Once people begin to talk openly about “submersion,” there are few solutions other than remigration. Much of modern politics is about making the other side use the words you want. After the Second World War, the Left successfully sold the idea that “fascism,” “racism,” and “nationalism” caused the slaughter. It was dishonest from the beginning. Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle would have been very surprised to learn they were fighting for “anti-racism.” Now, the long postwar era may finally be ending, as liberal illusions crack under the strain of mass immigration. The French Left was shocked to learn in a poll right after the Prime Minister’s remarks that 67 percent of French people say there is “submersion” due to migration.

A new era requires new words. “The Great Replacement” is what is happening. “Submersion” is how it feels. “Remigration” is the solution. These terms, increasingly mainstream in Europe, will soon be mainstream in America. All whites share a common fate. As Jared Taylor likes to say, we are a world brotherhood of Europeans.