(Photo: Unsplash/ Representational)Videos surfaced on social media Thursday showing protestors and police clashing on the streets of Lyon, France.
Protests have started in France since Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (RM) gained a significant lead in the European elections held last Sunday.
Notably, in the European elections, around 70% votes were divided among six parties, other than the RN.
It will start at the Place de la République and will go to Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation.
APF has reported protestors raiding slogans demanding the formation of a popular front.
(Photo: Unsplash/ Representational)
Videos surfaced on social media Thursday showing protestors and police clashing on the streets of Lyon, France. The videos show protestors lighting fireworks and setting dumpsters on fire. On the other hand, the police charged tear gas on the protestors, leading to complete chaos in the streets.
Protests have started in France since Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (RM) gained a significant lead in the European elections held last Sunday. Since the last five days, thousands have stormed the streets of French cities, especially those where the far-right have a lead.
Here are the videos from the protests in Lyon on June 14 (Friday):
On June 10, the protests intensified with reports of thousands gathering across French cities. Paris saw a gathering of at least 3000 people, on the Place de la République, the report by Le Mode and AFP said citing Paris police. Meanwhile, 2,200 people had gathered in Marseille, per law enforcement, while Nantes saw 4,400, Rennes 4,000 and Rouen 800.
The European elections in 2024 saw the best performance of the far-right in history, even though the center-right bloc of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen retained majority. The rise of the far-right is especially prominent in France with RN's Jordan Bardella gaining a majority with 31.37% votes. The results of the elections led President Emmanuel Marcon to dissolve the assembly, resulting in political turmoil in the country.
As a result of the dissolution, the country will go into a snap election (Article 12 of the French Constitution). France 24 reported that elections will take place on June 30 and July 7 - in two rounds.
The protests have erupted in France amidst a fear that the far-right could come to power in the country. France-based English news outlet reported that the political opponents of the far-right are preparing to form a 'popular front' to prevent the far-right from assuming power. Notably, in the European elections, around 70% votes were divided among six parties, other than the RN.
According to reports, a major protest march is planned in Paris on Saturday (June 15) 2:00 p.m. local time. It will start at the Place de la République and will go to Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation.
The CGT Union, France's national trade union with around 640,000 members is a major force in the ongoing agitations. APF has reported protestors raiding slogans demanding the formation of a popular front. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that on June 15 that Leaders of France’s left-wing parties allied in a new coalition to curb the growth of the far-right.
The European Parliamentary elections were held across 27 member countries between June 6 and 9, with France being one of the countries voting on the last day. A total of 51.1% of the approximately 448 million people spread across 27 states elected 720 members of parliament in what has been described as 'marathon polls.'
