French youth protest against Front National Europoll result
Several thousand students and young people protested in Paris on Thursday against the success of the far-right Front National (FN) in Sunday‘s European elections. There were demonstrations in several other towns but turnout was lower than in 2002 when the party made it to the second round of the presidential poll.
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As well as Paris, there were demonstrations in Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Marseille, the southern city where 17-year-old school student Lucas Rochette-Berlon launched the Facebook call for "citizens’ marches” against the FN.
Left-wing parties and students’ unions backed the call but most of the demonstrators were school students and other young people.
The turnout of a few thousand did not rival the 1.3 million people who demonstrated across France in 2002 when former FN leader Jean-Marie Le Pen went through to the second round to face mainstream right leader Jacques Chirac.
Many of the demonstrators were angry that the FN, which won 25 per cent of the vote on a 40 per cent turnout, now claims to be the leading party among young people.
“We’re here to show that the FN is not the main party for young people,” schoolteacher Mathilde told RFI on the Paris protest. “We’re here to show that the majority do not support Front National’s ideas.”
“People are fed up with politics,” said 18-year-old Blaise. “All the politicians can do is show off. Hollande hasn’t kept his promises and the opposition is not constructive. The political class is falling apart.”
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