People have taken to the streets in many cities in France to protest the rise of the far right. More than a hundred mainly left-wing organizations marched in places across the country.
In total, according to the French Ministry of the Interior, there were 119 meetings. The largest was in Paris. It was the first time since the relaxation of the corona measures that such large-scale protests have been held again.
The French police and the organizers mention very different turnout figures. According to the organisers, there were 70,000 people in Paris and 150,000 at all the meetings together. The police put it at 9,000 people in the capital and 37,000 in total.
Among the prominent participants was Benoit Hamon, who ran for the Socialist Party in the French presidential elections in 2017. He said that “far-right ideas are no longer the monopoly of far-right parties”. According to him, they have seeped into mainstream politics.
Flour in face
There was an incident at the march in Paris. The leader of a far-left party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, was thrown in the face when he spoke to journalists. A suspect was later arrested for this.
It is the second time in a short time that a politician in France has been the victim of aggression. Last Tuesday President Macron was punched in the face. The perpetrator was sentenced to four months in prison.
Mélenchon, who wants to participate in the presidential elections next year, was recently discredited. He is accused of having links with Muslim extremists. He would also have given oxygen to conspiracy theories.
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