Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of France on Saturday, denouncing the rise of the country’s far-right party and calling on fellow citizens to prevent it from taking power in early parliamentary elections arranged by President Emmanuel Macron.
The protests were organized by the country’s five largest trade unions and received widespread support from human rights associations, activists, artists and supporters of the newly formed left-wing party coalition New Popular Front. Most protesters painted a dark picture of the country under a far-right prime minister.
“For the first time since Vichy, the far right has gained the upper hand again in France,” Socialist Party leader Olivier Fore said in a speech to a crowd in Paris.
The prospect has brought former President François Hollande back to power, and he announced on Saturday that he would run in legislative elections to help ensure the far right does not take power.
“The situation is very serious,” he said in his hometown of Corrèze. “For those who feel lost, we need to convince them that French solidarity is indispensable.”
Macron shocked the country last week by announcing the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and calling for new parliamentary elections.
The move is a political gamble; Macron hopes voters will support him. He portrayed himself as the clear force of sanity and stability between the two extreme forces, the National Rally and the far-left French party Unyielding (which later joined the New Popular Front).
But there are signs his decision may backfire.
Early polls show the national rally, which has long called for deep cuts in immigration and asylum seeker numbers and the introduction of a “national priority” system that would preserve jobs, housing and hospital treatment for native French, in the lead.
“There are many factors behind Macron’s decision to gamble on calling this election,” said Gilles Ivaldi, a political science professor at Sciences Po in Paris who studies far-right politics in France and Europe. “He missed one thing – national rally political momentum. That’s the key to winning elections.
The rapid improvement in the political fortunes of national rallies after years of being deprived of power drew people like 45-year-old teacher Philippe Noel to the streets on Saturday.
“We end up facing a real risk of a far-right government,” Mr. Noel said as he walked past a brass band playing pop songs for the crowd under drizzly skies. “But it’s not inevitable and I hope the left parties can unite.”
According to police estimates, 250,000 people had been out across France as of Saturday afternoon, including 75,000 in Paris.
“I came because I was angry and I felt powerless,” said Lucie Heurtebize, 26, a technology worker. “We need to come together.”
As the protests began to subside, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a member of Macron’s party, announced changes to the Renaissance movement’s platform to reflect its rivals’ pledges to increase the spending power of French households. These include indexing pensions to inflation, allowing employers to increase employees’ salaries through tax-free bonuses, and providing supplementary health insurance at a cost of €1 per day.
“The French know that our plan is coherent,” he told Le Parisien. “For other parties, it’s like a skydive without a parachute.”
The demonstrations were held largely without incident, with people from all walks of life – students, workers, tech programmers, business executives and footballers – voicing their determination to prevent the rise of rallies across the country.
But in Paris, a group of black-clad protesters began smashing storefronts before clashing with riot police who used tear gas. The protesters drew boos from other demonstrators and warned that the violence would help right-wing politicians and right-wing media portray people on the left as extremists.
Laura Michaud, a 31-year-old business executive, said: “Today 50% of us voted for a racist, misogynistic party that wants to deport foreigners without addressing the real needs of the people. Question, this is not normal. “I am not a fan of Macron, but I will vote for him if I have to. “
However, many in the crowd said they hoped the newly formed left-wing alliance could defeat the far right, much like the original Popular Front alliance in the 1930s.
To counter the rise of far-right fascist political groups in Europe, the original Popular Front formed a government under Leon Blum, who in 1936 became the country’s first socialist and Jewish prime minister. Under his short leadership, Mr. Bloom secured many workers’ rights considered critical today, including collective bargaining, a 40-hour work week and two weeks of annual paid leave.
“We have been waiting for a popular front for a long time,” said Patrick Franceschi, a commercial developer who supports the Green Party. “We voted for Macron twice against national rallies, but now with the Left Front it is closer to my political family.”
The New Popular Front is made up of ecologists, communists, socialists and far-left parties who have come together despite recent intense conflicts and opposing policies.
On Friday, the coalition unveiled a platform pledging to raise wages, restore the purchasing power of French citizens and lower France’s mandatory retirement age from 64 to 60. The treaty will stifle French job creation through globalization.
On immigration, the coalition wants France to be more welcoming to asylum seekers and climate refugees – a stance that stands in stark contrast to what the national rally proposes.
But cracks have emerged, with some prominent members of France’s Indomitus party being excluded from the candidate list. Hollande’s return could add further complications. The Socialist Party collapsed under his leadership, and he was a polarizing figure for many on the left.
Saturday’s demonstrations echoed the massive protests that swept France’s streets in 2002. Mr Le Pen’s daughter Marine took over the party in 2011 and renamed it the National Rally, but its basic ideas – opposition to immigration and increased police powers – remain.
At the time, left-wing parties united to form the so-called “Republican Front”, which asked members to protect the country from the far right and vote for conservative rival Jacques Chirac, even though they disagreed with his policies.
“This is about tracing a line in the sand,” said Cécile Alduy, a professor at Stanford University and an expert on national rallies. “Parties that threaten the republic by undermining values like equality and freedom,” she declared. There is an essential difference between ” and Unity, and other parties that you may not agree with on policy, but they fall within the constitutional framework. “
efficient. Mr. Chirac was elected president with an overwhelming majority.
Since then, there have been repeated calls for the creation of Republican front-style bastions, especially during lower-level elections, to exclude members of the far right from the office of the president. While this strategy has worked in the past, it has now waned. In 2022, 89 National Rally members were elected to the 577-seat Congress, making the party a powerful opposition force. Le Pen received 41.5% of the vote in the presidential election, but lost to Macron.
The party made further gains in last week’s European elections.
Segolena Lestradic Contributed reporting.
