Last night, in the wake of Marine Le Pen’s RN’s 33% first-round victory, thousands of angry left-leaning supporters shattered store windows, lit fire to trash, and unleashed fireworks into the Paris streets.
Not everyone was destroying. In a bizarre display, topless feminists, in protest, mopped and scrubbed the sidewalk near a Jordan Bardella rally at the Musée d’Orsay museum in Paris.
Following yesterday night’s crushing defeat in the first round of legislative elections at the hands of the hard-right National Rally (RN), French President Emmanuel Macron and his supporters have begun a new week of relentless campaigning this morning.
Troops of riot police were deployed citywide, with a particular emphasis on the Place de la République in the French capital, where they engaged in clashes with protesters brandishing flares far into the morning.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal of Macron, who is expected to be compelled to step down following the second round, issued a warning that the right-wing had arrived at the “gates of power” and urged voters to reject the RN in Sunday’s second round, which is scheduled for July 7.
The left-wing New Popular Front coalition has 28% of the vote, while Macron’s centrist alliance has only 20%.
With the RN aiming for an outright majority in the second round of elections this coming Sunday, Le Pen joyfully announced late last night that Macron’s party had been ‘wiped out’ as she hailed the triumph.
France’s voters are angry about Macron’s leadership, which they perceive as haughty and disconnected from the people.
The National Rally party has introduced a number of populist initiatives, including restrictions on immigration and efforts to revitalize the French economy. It has taken advantage of this anger, primarily through internet platforms like TikTok.
The first round of voting was yesterday, and according to polling agencies, the RN will win the 577-seat National Assembly in Sunday’s second round.