According to IRNA, citing Reuters, protesters in Saturday’s rallies included trade unions as well as student, human rights, anti-racism groups and followed after the victory of far-right in the recently-held European Parliament elections.
At least in 150 French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon and Lyon, witnessed demonstrations against the far-right National Rally. Thousands of police forces were deployed for securing these protests.
Police announced that 75,000 people participated in the Paris protests whereas some 217,000 people protested across the country. But the CGT union estimated the number of protesters across the country at 640,000, of which a quarter million in the capital alone.
Crowds have been gathering daily ever since Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration far-right National Rally made historic gains in the European Parliament elections on Sunday, crushing President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling centrists.
Macron, after the far-right victory, dissolved the French Parliament and announced two-stage elections due on June 30 and July 7.
Opinion polls suggest the National Rally — whose founder has been repeatedly convicted of racism— is expected to be ahead in the first round of the parliamentary elections and likely form the new French government.
To prevent the National Rally from winning, left-wing parties agreed Friday to set aside differences over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and form a coalition. They urged French citizens to defeat the far right.
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