RantCrush Top 5: February 22, 2017

Marine Le Pen, the French far-right presidential candidate, refused to wear a headscarf when meeting with the Lebanese Grand Mufti yesterday–a Sunni religious leader. Le Pen was in the country for a two-day visit to try and gather some support from French-Lebanese people ahead of the election in April. When asked to put on a scarf, Le Pen refused and canceled the meeting. She said she was surprised by the requirement, but a spokesperson for the Grand Mufti, Khaldoun Awas, said she had been informed about it beforehand. “[She] walked out without attending the previously agreed upon meeting with the Mufti. The Edict House regrets such inappropriate behavior at such meetings,” he said.

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen cancels meeting in Lebanon after refusing to wear a headscarf https://t.co/VxVLlCtay0 pic.twitter.com/P4Eopnklcr

— CNN (@CNN) February 21, 2017

After Donald Trump’s win in the U.S. and Britain’s Brexit, Le Pen’s nationalist party Front National has high hopes for the presidential election in France. But that prospect has many worried, as a win for Le Pen could mean even more problems for the EU.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.