French citizens take to the streets against the far-right

Opponents of the far-right gathered in the cities of Paris, Lyon, Rennes, and Bordeaux.

At the demonstration in Paris, activists expressed their reaction to the far-right's victory in the European Parliament (EP) elections held in the country.

The protesters called for preventing a far-right victory in the upcoming local elections, the first round of which will be held on June 30.

During the protest, slogans were chanted such as, "Even if (French President Emmanuel) Macron doesn't want it, we are here for the dignity of workers and a better life."

Protesters carried signs reading "Popular Front," "Beware of Fascism," and "You Don't Scare Me, No to the FN (National Front)." Some activists attended the demonstration with Palestinian flags.

"WE ARE LITERALLY IN A NIGHTMARE"

Dania Esmat, a 24-year-old activist who participated in the Paris demonstration, evaluated the EP election results, saying, "I came to protest because this is a disastrous situation; we are literally in a nightmare."

Esmat expressed that she still cannot believe Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly, stating, "The far-right has never been this close to power; it is frightening."

Discussing the difficulty of leftists uniting around a common project in 21 days against the far-right, Esmat argued that Macron's party, Renaissance, is the party that handed France over to the far-right.

Emphasizing that voting for Renaissance in the local elections is out of the question for her, Esmat explained that the only hope against the far-right is for leftists to unite.

A 25-year-old protester named Camille emphasized that she was protesting against the National Rally (RN) party, and described the far-right emerging as the leading party in the EP elections as "symptoms of living under Macron's rule for years."

Camille attributed the EP election results to citizens in the country's rural areas feeling abandoned by the state, stating, "This is a worrying vote, and it will have consequences for freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly."

Underlining that the country is in a very serious situation, Camille emphasized that leftists could constitute an alternative to the far-right, and therefore they must unite for the local elections.

Camille held the government responsible for the rise of "fascism" and for decisions that cause discrimination against immigrants and Muslims in the country.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING MAKES ME REBEL"

18-year-old student Marie noted that the rise of the far-right in the EP elections reminds her of France's past, saying, "What is happening makes me rebel."

Marie called for protests to show that there are those who oppose the far-right and requested that leftists form a coalition against this political entity.

"However, I don't know if the coalition will be strong enough to fight against the far-right," said Marie, drawing attention to the disagreements between different leftist groups.

Marie stated that the far-right "scares" people by bringing certain events to the media's agenda.

News Source: AA