Thousands rallied in the streets of many French cities this Saturday against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a presidential candidate, and incumbent Emmanuel Macron.
Protests were concentrated in Paris, but also in cities such as Rennes, Lyon, Nantes and Besançon, and up to 50 locations in the country, called by trade unions and organizations such as SOS Racismo, under the slogan “Against the Extreme Right and for Justice and Equality”. No vote for Le Pen. ”
According to the Ministry of the Interior, 22,000 people took part in the march across France, 9,200 of them in Paris.
“A voice that smells is better than a voice that kills,” read one of the banners at a rally in the capital.
Many protesters have declared that they will vote for Macron, even if they oppose his ideas, so as not to elect Le Pen.
But other banners at the same time showed the reluctance of many voters to turn to the so-called “Republican Front”, ie to vote for an opponent of the far right, to prevent him from coming to power.
“Neither Macron nor Le Pen” was one of the slogans on the day of the anti-Macron protest in Paris, organized by Florin Filippo, the former number of Marine Le Pen, who claims on social media that “a million people were expected”. “. Eventually, there were several hundred people.
This Saturday night closes a consultation held by La France Insumisa party, of the left-wing Jean-Luc Melenchon, to ask its supporters what the party’s position should be: Vote for Macron to avoid Le Pen, or abstain or vote white.
According to the latest polls published in L’Obs magazine, which give the Liberal candidate victory by a very narrow margin, up to 40% of Melenchon voters will be ready to abstain or vote blank on April 24, 29%. Vote for Le Pen and 31% for Macron.
Melenchon received more than 7.7 million votes in the first round, down 22% of the vote, 23.1% of Le Pen and 27.8% of Macron.
Unlike other leaders on the left, Melenchon called for a vote against Le Pen, but did not ask for a vote for Macron.
Ecology captured much of the media discourse this Saturday, as well as Macron’s rally, which focused on announcing a policy that he said would increase environmental action over the next five years.
In front of him, Le Pen, who promised to dismantle all wind generators because “they spoil the landscape,” viewed the opponent’s statements as “trial ecology” against his “national ecology” program, which several NGOs “fear.” The worst”.
In the morning, blockades were observed on one of the main arteries of the capital, on the Grand Boulevard, where a hundred militants of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion started a three-day action, blocking the movement by condemning “inaction”. Political leaders in the context of global warming.
Source: El Diario
