The far left “Front Social” group have organised a reportedly 10,000 person-strong protest against newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, with some protesters clashing with police.
The rally, announced early Monday morning, began at 2 pm local Paris time at the Place de la République, Le Parisien reports. The group said they wanted to use the demonstration to “put pressure” on Mr. Macron who many on the far left see as an establishment politician working in the interest of wealthy elites.
People hold a banner reading “Social front, it is in the street that it can be won.” Photo: (AFP PHOTO/Lionel BONAVENTURE)
The demonstration also involved trade union groups like Info’Com-CGT, student union Unef, and others who gathered to take part in the march.
According to police estimates, there were around 1,600 people who took part in the protest, though the organisers have argued the number could be as high as 10,000. Police said a few violent clashes had broken out and noted a few arrests, but nothing on the same level as the May Day protest that occurred last week where several officers were injured from extremists throwing fire bombs.
Many of the leaders of far left groups advocated abstaining from the election and not voting for either anti-mass migration candidate Marine Le Pen or globalist Macron after their candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon failed to reach the second round.
Head of the Info’Com CGT union Romain Altmann told the crowd at the event: “We decided not to lower our heads in the first days of the [presidential] mandate”. He went on to talk about the union’s opposition to Macron’s proposals to reform French labour laws.
“We are immediately the resistance!” he added.
Trade union leader Michael Wamen also spoke to the crowd saying: “It’s not a president who was elected, it’s a president and CEO.”
“Whatever the elected politician was a man or woman, we would have been on the streets, because for 40 years we have never suffered so many social regressions,” he added.
Despite their agreement on Macron’s policies, the trade union organisers of last week’s march against Ms. Le Pen did not participate in the event. A source within one of the national trade unions said that the Front Social only represented a small minority of members and the unions were still waiting to see what Macron does in office before protesting his presidency.
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