Around 3,500 hungry locals from Alsace eagerly consume large servings of cured meats while breaking into loud group singing at regular intervals.

This scene is not from any police canine gathering but instead marks another edition of the giant communal meals gaining traction throughout rural France.

The picturesque Alsace town of Colmar, known for its timber-framed historic core, hosted one such massive banquet last weekend, turning the gatherings into a sudden point of political contention.

Organized by Le Canon Français, these events draw huge crowds where 81 euros secures four courses of regional specialties, unlimited wine, and hours of shared singing and fellowship.

Critics on the radical left, including the party La France Insoumise, see a troubling undercurrent in the feasts.

The group cites reports of discriminatory chants and mistreatment of immigrant workers, arguing that frequent pork dishes deliberately sideline Muslims and vegetarians.

They also highlight funding ties to conservative businessman Pierre-Edouard Stérin as proof of a hidden goal to advance far-right views.

Stérin, who built wealth in gift vouchers, launched a think tank advocating reduced immigration, limits on abortion, and emphasis on France's Christian roots.

European Parliament member Emma Fourreau from the party states that accepting Stérin as backer shows shared aims to elevate the extreme right.

At the Colmar event in a large industrial venue, attendees reject such claims outright.

Guests sit at extended tables holding 50 people each, with many men wearing berets and suspenders as an unofficial uniform, and some women in regional Alsace attire.

Organizers briefly recall a code of respectful conduct before servers deliver choucroute, local cheeses, and kougelhopf dessert amid flowing wine.

Participants pause eating to sing classic tunes from artists like Michel Delpech and Joe Dassin, which younger attendees know well despite their age.

One attendee explains the draw as atmosphere, companionship, drinks, and cuisine, with most avoiding politics and viewing the fuss as exaggerated.

Quentin from Besançon notes that Stérin involvement gave critics an opening ahead of upcoming elections.

The Colmar crowd was mostly but not entirely white, with many enjoying traditional celebration, and no offensive incidents were observed.

The company was founded by Pierre-Alexandre de Boisse and Géraud de la Tour, who started with online wine sales during the pandemic to aid a grower, then moved to heritage fundraisers that grew into these banquets.

De Boisse frames the events as reviving historic French mass dining traditions from medieval times through post-revolution republican meals and village popular feasts.

He highlights the joy of mixing professions like lawyers and bakers in conversation, countering modern isolation from screens.

The left-wing attacks have irritated de Boisse, who calls them baseless while noting occasional lapses cannot be fully controlled despite the signed charter.

He rejects claims of exclusive pork service, noting it fits tradition but is not constant, and dismisses reports of Nazi salutes as fabrications.

Identifying as a Catholic entrepreneur from modest aristocratic roots, de Boisse stresses inclusion for ethical and commercial reasons, adding he never met Stérin who invested for profit.

Fourreau labels the banquets outdated caricatures that ignore France's diverse reality.

Her party seeks to block the events locally, succeeding in Quimper, while Caen police probe racial claims from an April gathering.

De Boisse concedes many attendees lean right but points to rural voting trends, defending job creation and enjoyment while questioning the political attacks.

He asks why critics cannot simply let the events proceed without interference.