«Better a vote that stinks than a vote that kills». In Paris and in towns and cities across France, thousands of people protested against the far-right ahead of next weekend’s presidential run-off.
Many made it clear that in saying «no to the far right» they did not support Emmanuel Macron either — but would reluctantly cast their ballots for the current president in order to keep out his far-right rival.
«Not a single vote for Marine Le Pen!» chanted people in Lille, where several hundred demonstrators turned out. Ousted left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon repeated the phrase several times in a speech to supporters last weekend.
«We are here to say no to the far right. (…) for society, freedoms but also the climate. It would be a real regression if it came to power,» said Jean-François Julliard , Managing Director of Greenpeace France. He was one of several thousand people who protested in Paris.
One sign in Paris recalled: «2002 was no, 2022 is still no», a reference to the «republican front» which saw millions mobilise to re-elect Jacques Chirac and keep out the far-right former «Front National» leader Jean-Marie Le Pen who had made it to the second round
Source: https://www.euronews.com/2022/04/16/french-election-thousands-protest-against-far-right-ahead-of-presidential-run-off
Copyright AP Photo/Christophe Ena
