France’s left-wing leader defended slogans against killing police and made threats himself, ahead of the first round of early parliamentary elections that carry huge risks for President Emmanuel Macron.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the left-wing leader and most visible face of the New Popular Front (NFP) coalition, which draws everyone from pro-European centrists to pure-blooded communists, laughed at the slogans his supporters chanted at the anti-right rally. “One dead policeman means one less vote for the RN,” demonstrators chanted, referring to the populist National Rally (RN) party of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, which is expected to front in the election.
“It’s ridiculous… but we have the right to laugh,” Mélenchon replied. He then clarified his point by saying, “Of course, it’s not about people’s deaths.” Figaro I got it. His cavalier response sparked waves of concern, with Matthieu Valette, a former police union spokesman and now an RN politician, quoted as saying: “He doesn’t respect anything. [country]He no longer hides his hatred for police officers.”
‘Far-left’ violence: Le Pen candidate hospitalised after attack by masked assailanthttps://t.co/5aJpywfcyU
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 22, 2024
Jordan Bardella, leader of the RN parliamentary faction that wants him removed from the prime minister’s position, said: “The far-left is defending a new right to insult police officers and laugh at their deaths… Mélenchon and his cohorts no longer have any moral limits.” Macron’s interior minister, Gérard Darmanin, who banned several “extremist” groups this week, responded to Mélenchon: “The far-left, once again notorious for its hatred of the police. How can honest left-wing voters accept this?”
Spitting on the coffins of police officers and military police just for a few votes… [this makes me want to] Vomit.”
Mélenchon has also implicitly warned that he would “resist” the results if the RN wins, while President Emmanuel Macron has openly warned that the results of the elections he called would spark a “civil war.” This week, the left-wing leader wrote: “If the RN wins the elections, we will resist them morally and legally… The French cannot say that we did not warn them.”
France will vote on Sunday for the first of two rounds to select its next parliamentary representatives. France’s electoral system uses a knock-out system in which the two best-performing candidates in each constituency face off again a week later while the other candidates drop out. This system, built into France’s Fifth Republic, is seen by some as being particularly hostile to candidates outside the mainstream, as it allows for strategic voting in the second round.
As things stand, opinion polls are showing Le Pen’s RN garnering support, with Mélenchon’s left-wing coalition in second place, and he is expected to finish in third place, an embarrassment for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is calling the election after his own dismal performance in Europe-wide elections earlier this month.
If the RN could take control of the French parliament, it would likely be able to install its leader, Bardella, as prime minister. While conflicts between the president and government are not uncommon in France, the ideological gulf between the two men is large enough to trigger a constitutional crisis.
say something outrageous https://t.co/MDrY1tEzKX
—Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) June 16, 2024
