Thousands of leftists gathered across France on Saturday to protest the perceived threats to allegedly democratic principles posed by the National Rally party’s potential success in the upcoming snap election. The Ministry of the Interior estimated around 75,000 people protested in Paris, while an additional 175,000 turned out across the rest of the country. Other major gatherings took place in Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Grenoble, and Toulouse.
Protesters marched through Paris, with at least nine arrests made and three police officers injured, according to the capital’s Police Prefecture. The July Column in Place de la Bastille was vandalized with graffiti, featuring messages such as “Free Gaza” and “Bardella FDP” (Bardella son of a bitch), in reference to National Rally president Jordan Bardella.
The protest comes after President Emmanuel Macron’s surprise decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for a snap election, sparking fears that the National Rally might take control of the French parliament and potentially lead to a “cohabitation” government with Macron. Macron’s move seemed to aim to exploit divisions within the left, but instead, the four largest leftist parties have come together to form the “New Popular Front” alliance, inspired by a similar coalition from ahead of World War II.
The “New Popular Front” has been criticized for including La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has faced accusations of antisemitism and downplaying radical Islamist terrorism. The alliance was boosted by the announcement that former Socialist Prime Minister François Hollande would run as a candidate under the “New Popular Front” banner on June 30th.
Meanwhile, the right has been plagued by disunity, despite the National Rally’s strong showing in European elections. Les Républicains leader Eric Ciotti formed an alliance with the National Rally, only to face a backlash from within his own party, leading to a brief standoff in which Ciotti locked himself in the party’s headquarters. The fate of Ciotti’s leadership remains uncertain, but he claims to have support from around 80 deputies. Further infighting has also been reported within the Reconquête! party of anti-mass migration author Éric Zemmour.
