Several thousand people have taken to the streets in France to protest against the far right. With their action they want to express their dissatisfaction with the fact that the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen will advance to the second round of the presidential elections. The protests took place in Paris and in about thirty other French cities.
“We are here to say no to the far right. It would be a serious setback if he came to power,” said Jean-François Julliard, director-general of Greenpeace France before the rally’s departure from Place de la Nation in Paris.
In total, about thirty organizations and trade unions, including the League for Human Rights, SOS Racism, CGT and Syndicate of the Judiciary, called for the actions. The authorities expected about 15,000 people, of whom 3 to 4,000 in Paris.
Marine Le Pen will face incumbent President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of elections on April 24. During the first round of the elections last weekend, Le Pen had to beat the incumbent president: he was able to convince almost 28 percent of the voters, Le Pen received more than 23 percent of the vote.
Speaking to the press earlier this morning in Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre (Eure-et-Loir), Le Pen believes that “demonstrating against the outcome of an election is highly anti-democratic”. “I think the French find it unpleasant to see their choice being challenged in the street, through demonstrations,” said Le Pen.
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