Thousands of protesters took to the streets in at least 30 French cities this Saturday (16) to demonstrate against the farright candidate Marine Le Pen, who will face Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the presidential election on the 24th.
A poll released on Saturday by the Ipsos Institute showed that if elected today, Macron would win reelection with 55.5% of the vote, versus 44.5% for Le Pen.
Thousands of people rallied in central Paris, chanting against the candidate and saying that the country’s democracy was in jeopardy. A banner read: “Against the extreme right. For justice and equality. Not Le Pen there [palácio do] Élysée”, which refers to the official residence of the French President.
“If the extreme right is in power, we will see a major collapse of the democratic, antiracist and progressive camps,” said Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racismo, who called the protests along with dozens of human rights groups, unions and associations. “People need to realize that despite their anger at Emmanuel Macron and his policies, there is no equivalence between a liberal and conservative candidate and a farright candidate,” he said.
In front of the renowned Institute for Political Science, around 150 students blocked the entrance to the center on Thursday with banners reading “No, on the far right” and “There are no neighborhoods for fascists, there are no fascists in our neighborhoods. “
Out there
The police had warned of possible incidents, but the protests ended peacefully.
At a rally in Marseille on Saturday, Macron, who is trying to win the favor of leftwing voters, said that “the far right is a danger to our country”. In the city, leftwing candidate JeanLuc Mélenchon took first place in the first round on April 10.
Le Pen also described the protests at an election campaign event in southern France as undemocratic. “The establishment is concerned,” she said. “For people to protest against the election results is deeply undemocratic. I urge all of these people to vote. As simple as that.”
Ahead of the first ballot, Le Pen managed to turn French people’s dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living and the perception that Macron is disconnected from people’s daily difficulties to his advantage. She ended the first round with 23.1% of the votes versus 27.85% for Macron.
With the electorate fragmented and indecisive, the candidate who can convince voters that the other option will be worse is likely to win the election.
For decades, a Republican front of voters from all walks of life managed to keep the far right out of power by backing popular candidates. But there are doubts whether Macron has that support after a tenure of rightleaning and conflictridden politics. This Saturday, for example, some of the demonstrators in Paris carried banners that read “Neither Le Pen nor Macron”.
“This election leaves us with no choice between a farright candidate with disgusting ideas and a candidate who for five years pushed aside the ecological issue and lied,” said a history teacher identified as Lou, 26, who spoke to the group Extinction Rebellion.
In Marseille, Macron focused on the environmental agenda. “The policies I’m going to promote over the next five years will be green,” he said. He vowed to make France the first “great nation to get out of oil, gas and coal” and appoint a prime minister in charge of the environmental agenda. He also stated that he will invest in renewable technologies and organic food and that he wants to improve the energy efficiency of homes.
Both candidates are now trying to seduce voters who voted for leftwing candidate JeanLuc Mélenchon, who finished third in the first round of last Sunday’s elections. The left electorate brings together diverse groups, particularly young people between the ages of 18 and 24, who are aware of global warming and agendas such as feminism and antiracism.