Fears of far-right takeover spur widespread protests across France

RFI

15 June 2024 at 9:13 am·1-min read

Marches against a far-right surge were staged in cities across France on Saturday – with hundreds of thousands of people calling on the nation to derail the anti-immigration National Rally’s hopes of taking control of parliament in upcoming snap elections.

Some 200 protests drew together crowds of people fearing the 30 June and 7 July polls will saddle France with its first far-right government since World War II.

Politicians and union staff were joined by feminist and LGBTQ+ groups, environmental NGOs and others seeking to block the far right at all costs and denouncing a political program that stirs up racism, hatred and homophobia.

Left-wing political figures marched side by side in Paris.

Among them were Greens party leader Marine Tondelier, France Unbowed leader Mathilde Panot, Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure, Communist Party spokesperson Ian Brossat and Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Grégoire.

The hardline CGT union said 200,000 people had turned out for the Paris march, although the Interior Ministry put the figure at closer to 75,000.

From power play to gamble, the history of snap elections in France

Historic gains

Anti-racism demonstrators have been gathering daily ever since the National Rally (RN) made historic gains in the European Parliament elections on Sunday.

The RN took more than 30 percent of the vote cast in France – almost twice as much as President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party.

HuffPost UK
'Shouldn't Be Allowed To Make Stuff Up': James Cleverly Left Stuttering Over His Migration Claims
"It's invented, isn't it, James?" Labour's Yvette Cooper said.
HuffPost
George Conway Tells Trump What The Rest Of The World Really Thinks About Him
He also revealed what will happen if Joe Biden provokes Trump at this week's debate.
The Telegraph
The Tories have abandoned the one thing that made them electable
The outcome of the general election is now considered such a foregone conclusion that the post-mortem examination is being conducted while the corpse is still twitching. Many pundits and politicians seem to think that the Government’s imminent demise can be explained by its failure to listen to one faction or another.
The Telegraph
Russia is crumbling from within
On Sunday evening, the North Caucasus region of Dagestan was rocked by a series of brutal terrorist attacks. Gunmen opened fire in a synagogue in Derbent, graphically slit the throat of Russian Orthodox priest Father Nikolay, and attacked Jewish and Christian houses of worship in Dagestan’s largest city Makhachkala. These brutal crimes claimed the lives of at least 15 people, including police officers.
The Telegraph
Sunak may have made the biggest electoral mistake in British history
When the history of this election campaign comes to be written, one question will perplex the compilers more than any other: why now? The Tory officials and police officers being investigated for alleged gambling law infractions by betting on a snap contest in July will have secured very good odds for the simple reason that no one was expecting it.
Reuters
US, Russia defense chiefs speak as tensions rise over Crimea attack
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. and Russian defense chiefs spoke by telephone on Tuesday in rare communication between the two powers and with tensions rising after Moscow blamed Washington for a deadly Ukraine attack over the weekend on the Russian-annexed Crimea. The two sides gave widely divergent accounts of the conversation - the first one between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russia's new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, who replaced Sergei Shoigu in May.
Business Insider
A Russian soldier's killing of a wounded comrade highlights the 'brutal culture' rampant inside Russia's military, war analysts say
Experts called out the callous behavior within the Russian armed forces after drone footage showed a soldier shooting a wounded comrade.
The Telegraph
Reform puts British people first – how is that a wasted vote?
This is just a hunch, but I imagine some of you are as sick as I am of hearing that a vote for Reform is a wasted vote. Let me tell you what a wasted vote is. Casting my ballot in December 2019 with a song in my heart for the Conservatives. Nothing I voted for came to pass. Worse than that, in many cases the alleged Tory government did precisely the opposite of what I wanted. Every Conservative principle I held dear trashed.
The Telegraph
Seagulls are terrorising the UK – and nobody dares stop them
Dear readers, to those who have quite rightly concluded in this silliest of silly seasons that the country is going to the dogs, apologies. It is time for a new metaphor of decline; Britain is for the birds. And I’m not even referring to Swiftmania; if only our ills really could be cured with friendship bracelets and a loud chorus of Shake It Off. Somehow, amid all the other crises that beset us, seagull-psychos have us in their claws.
The Daily Beast
Judge Aileen Cannon Dresses Down Trump Prosecutor: ‘I Don’t Appreciate Your Tone’
There was tension in U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s courtroom on Monday afternoon as the controversial jurist—already facing criticism that she is in the tank for Donald Trump, who appointed her to the bench during his single term in the White House—snapped at one of the government attorneys prosecuting Trump for unlawfully hoarding classified documents after leaving office.The exchange occurred during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, with prosecutors arguing for
CNN
Biden administration moves toward allowing American military contractors to deploy to Ukraine
The Biden administration is moving towards lifting a de facto ban on American military contractors deploying to Ukraine, four US officials familiar with the matter told CNN, to help the country’s military maintain and repair US-provided weapons systems.
HuffPost
Nancy Pelosi Delivers Blistering 5-Word Trump Prediction
The former House speaker slammed the former president’s rhetoric after she was asked about her husband’s recovery from a 2022 hammer attack.
HuffPost
Newsmax Slaps Very Awkward Note On Screen During Donald Trump Interview
Critics on social media suggested the chyron meant one thing.
The Hill
Trump, progressives suffer a rough night: 5 takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries
Tuesday’s contests in Colorado, New York, South Carolina and Utah saw the first incumbent House Democrat to lose in a primary this cycle, along with several losses for Trump-endorsed candidates. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party suffered a major blow when Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) lost to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a moderate,…
HuffPost UK
Tories Heading For Electoral Wipeout As New Poll Predicts 250-Seat Labour Majority
And the final result could be even worse for the Conservatives.
The Guardian
Vauxhall owner says car plants could shut unless ‘stupid’ UK rules change
Stellantis to decide in ‘less than a year’ whether to keep Ellesmere Port and Luton production lines open amid ‘soft’ EV demand
The Telegraph
EU uses legal loophole to overturn Hungary’s veto on arms for Ukraine
The European Union will use a “legal procedure” to get around Hungary’s veto of a plan to buy weapons for Ukraine using seized Russian cash, the bloc’s top foreign diplomat said on Monday.
INSIDER
A US military aircraft just returned to a WWII airstrip that was once the site of a bloody battle in the Pacific
With eyes on China, the US military is searching the Pacific for more airfields from which its aircraft can fight and operate.
HuffPost
CNN’s Kasie Hunt Dumps Trump Spokesperson For Talking Smack About Her Colleagues
“You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period,” Hunt later wrote on social media about literally silencing Karoline Leavitt on “This Morning.”
Salisbury Journal
Reform UK's candidate responds after telling Salisbury that Putin 'seemed very good'
A CANDIDATE standing for Reform UK in Salisbury has stood by his statement that he thinks Vladimir Putin is a "good" president.

Historic gains

Latest stories