EU elections: French demonstrators stand up to the far right

PARIS (AP) — Anti-racism groups joined French unions and a new left-wing coalition in protests in Paris and across France on Saturday against the rise of the nationalist far-right. Hectic propaganda campaigns continue ahead of the early parliamentary elections.

The French Interior Ministry said that 21,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed at the marches, and authorities expect between 300,000 and 500,000 demonstrators across the country.

In Paris, those who feared the election would produce France’s first far-right government since World War II gathered in Place de la République before marching through eastern Paris.

According to Paris police, 75,000 people came out, despite the rainy and windy weather. The demonstrators carried banners reading: “Freedom for all, equality for all, fraternity with all” – a reference to France’s national motto – and “Let’s break borders, documents for all, no to the immigration bill.” Some chanted, “Free Palestine, long live Palestine,” and wore keffiyehs.

Among them was Nour Sikar, a 16-year-old high school student from the Paris region, of French and Algerian parents and who wears a hijab.

“For me, the far right is dangerous because it supports an ideology based on fear of the other, while we are all French citizens despite our differences,” she told the Associated Press.

Sekar said she would vote for the Left Alliance because it is “the only political party that addresses racism and Islamophobia.”

“I fear the rise of the National Rally Party because I fear they will ban the hijab in the name of women’s freedom. I am a woman and I should be able to decide what I want to wear. I am a free woman,” she said, adding that she is insulted on social media and in the streets on a daily basis because of her hijab.

Against the backdrop of music by French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, the audience chanted, “Everyone hates racism.”

“France is made up of people of different origins. It is its strength. The National Rally wants to break that,” Mohamed Ben Ammar, 68, a French doctor of Tunisian origins who works in a public hospital in Paris, told the AP.

He said: “We provide medical care to everyone, without worrying about their nationality, skin color or religion, unlike the fascists (far-right leaders) who target blacks, Arabs or Muslims.”

Although his son told him there was no point in protesting, Benomar said he was convinced of the importance of making his voice heard. “I am here to send a strong signal to politicians. We will not remain silent in the face of the extreme right.”

Police in Paris reported “numerous attempts to cause harm” by demonstrators. At least one person was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. An Associated Press journalist said police used tear gas against protesters who tried to vandalize a bus stop and billboards.

In the city of Nice on the French Riviera, demonstrators marched along Avenue Jean Medicin, the city’s main shopping street, chanting against the National Rally party and its leader, Jordan Bardella, as well as against President Emmanuel Macron. The organizers said that the number of participants reached 3,000 people, while the police estimated the number at 2,500 people.

Nice is traditionally a stronghold of conservatives, but over the past decade it has shifted strongly in its favour The National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen And her far-right competitor, Eric Zemmour.

Crowds have been gathering daily since the national anti-immigration rally made historic gains in the country European Parliament elections on SundayHe crushed pro-business moderates under Macron and pushed him to dissolve the National Assembly.

New elections for the House of Representatives in Parliament are scheduled to be held in two rounds, on June 30 and July 7. Macron remains president until 2027 and is responsible for foreign policy and defense, but his presidency will be weakened if the National Rally party wins and seizes power. Government and domestic politics.

French unions said in a statement on Friday: “We need a democratic and social renaissance, and if not the extreme right will take power.” “Our republic and our democracy are in danger.”

They noted that in Europe and around the world, far-right leaders have passed laws that harm women, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color.

To prevent the National Rally Party from winning the upcoming elections, the left-wing parties finally agreed on Friday to put aside their differences. Wars in Gaza Ukraine and Form a coalition. They urged French citizens to defeat the far right.

French opinion polls indicate that the National Rally party – whose founder has been repeatedly convicted of racism and anti-Semitism – is expected to advance in the first round of parliamentary elections. The party topped the European elections, obtaining more than 30% of the votes cast in France, nearly double the number of votes obtained by Macron’s Ennahda party.

Macron’s term remains in place for another three years, and he will retain control of foreign affairs and defense regardless of the outcome of the French parliamentary elections.

But his presidency will be weakened if the National Rally wins, which could put 28-year-old party leader Bardella on track to become the next prime minister, with authority over domestic and economic affairs.

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Morton reported from London. Associated Press writer Barbara Sork in Nice, France, contributed to this report.