Wave of Protests in French Cities Against the Far Right

In France, multiple protests have been held in various cities against the far-right party, and they continue. Protesters are concerned that this party may come to power for the first time since World War II if it wins the upcoming parliamentary elections. Following the rise in votes for the far-right party in the European Parliament elections, Emmanuel Macron, the President, announced on June 20 in a televised speech that he has decided to dissolve the French Parliament. With the signing of a decree for early parliamentary elections by Macron, the first round will be held on June 30 and the second round on July 7. Since the evening of last Sunday when the results of the European Parliament elections were announced and the far-right party achieved an unprecedented victory, groups of youth, leftist parties, and French unions have taken to the streets to express concern over this outcome. In central Paris, at the Place de la République, which is usually a venue for civil and leftist activists, protesters shouted slogans against what they called 'fascism.' Protests against the far right have not been limited to Paris and major cities like Lyon and Montpellier; groups in smaller towns have also organized protests, especially following calls from some labor unions. This clear division has sparked heated debates in the media. Yesterday, a right-wing political commentator on Europe 1 radio accused radical leftists of not accepting democracy. He stated, 'We have long known that democracy is only pleasing to the far right or far left when it aligns with their policies. However, I am very afraid that the far left has succeeded in convincing everyone to unite against the far right while never acknowledging that moderate and ordinary right-wing individuals exist who want to protest against the far left, which is the most serious danger today.' This concern from critics of leftist parties comes at a time when Palestinian flags have been raised at some protests against the far right, and radical leftists have been accused of glorifying violence, an accusation that some civil activists deny. Clémentine Autain, a leftist member of the French Parliament, responded to whether the violence at protests against the far right gives this party an excuse by stating, 'There are groups from the far right that come to create problems; we see that they come to attack the protests. There is less talk about the role of these groups; I see them now, uncontrolled, coming to the protests and clashing.' In addition to street protests, leftist parties and figures in France have largely united in a rare effort to defeat the far-right party. Meanwhile, the far-right party still holds the highest polling numbers for the upcoming elections.