In France weekend of demonstrations to ‘stop the right-wingers’, 22 thousand agents ready
The popular front of the left, meanwhile, has presented the plan with "the 10 commitments" that the parties promise to take on
ROME – The weekend in France is characterized by numerous courts organized by trade unions, oppositions and civil society bodies to say “stop the drift of the far right”, which emerged victorious in the European elections last Sunday. This afternoon it was Lyon’s turn, to continue tomorrow in Nice at 11am. Then, from 2pm, many other cities take to the streets, starting with the capital Paris, from Place de la République, but also Marseille, Toulouse, Nanterra, Strasbourg, Monpellier, Bordeaux, Lille, Rennes, Brest, Rouen, Dijon and more. The French press reports that 22 thousand police officers and gendarmes will be mobilized to ensure security. According to ‘Libération’, messages are circulating in some private groups on social networks calling on right-wing activists to join the demonstrations to “confront the leftists”.
The mobilization coincides with a further novelty on the political level: after President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to dissolve the chambers and go to early elections (set for 30 June and 7 July), the main four left-wing parties they decided to ally themselves, giving birth to the New Popular Front (Nouveau Front populair – Nfp). The announcement, after four days of work, was made yesterday evening: the team includes the socialist party, the Greens, the communist party and Jean-luc Mélenchon’s France Insoumise. Today, however, the plan was presented with “the 10 commitments” that the parties promise to undertake. Among these, “full and unconditional support for Ukraine against Putin”, “ceasefire for Gaza”, “social justice”, “complete equality between men and women”, “accessible and quality public healthcare” but also the withdrawal of the pension reform law, one of the contested objectives achieved by Macron. The main objective, however, is to stem the hoarding of seats that the leader of the Rassemblement Nationale, Marine Le Pen, promises to do.
“A new page has been written in the history of France,” the parties said in a joint statement. Mélenchon added in a post on X: “Thanks to those who participated in the negotiations, spending four sleepless nights.” Raphaël Glucksmann, who won a seat in Brussels on the Socialist list, said: “We cannot leave France to the Le Pen family.” The latter, very skeptical towards France Insoumise, agreed to join the coalition as did the socialist environmentalist mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, who assures: “I will not compromise on respect for the values on which the democratic and ecological left is based: solidarity, the fight against anti-Semitism and every form of racism, the construction of our common European destiny with Ukraine”.
Meanwhile, Le Pen, denouncing with concern the imposition of “a radical and violent extreme left that outrages individual and public freedoms”, has announced that, if he wins the elections, he will form a government of national unity together “to women and men of good will, aware of the catastrophic situation of our country”. Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old candidate for the European elections who has won the votes of many young French people, has the task of “forming the team”.