French protesters decry far-right shift as snap election looms

• French President Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, called snap legislative elections earlier this week after a defeat in European Parliament elections. Macron’s decision is an apparent bet that voters won’t dare bring the far right to power in a more consequential French election, a move analysts say is risky given opinion polling.
• Anti-racism groups and left-wing political parties organized more than 150 rallies across France to protest the far-right National Rally guided by Le Pen.
• The National Rally won about 31 percent of the vote in the European elections, more than double the showing for Macron’s allies.
• The first round of voting is set for June 30, and a second round is scheduled for July 7, less than three weeks before the Opening Ceremonies of the Paris Olympics.

In a show of force against the far right, protesters in Paris set a small fire as they were met by police in riot gear. In Marseille, they blocked roads and rail tracks. In Nantes, western France, they wore masks and goggles amid police tear gas. Across the country, they held signs characterizing Le Pen and her party as dangerous.

“We are marching because we are extremely worried,” Sophie Binet, a French labor union leader, told journalists, adding that there was a real risk of a far-right victory in upcoming parliamentary elections. “We want to prevent this disaster,” she said.

Authorities detained several protesters, according to Le Monde, and photos showed vandalism on walls.

Macron has faced protests against his own policies, including the widespread “yellow vest” rallies against social inequality, in which critics characterized him as uninterested in the difficulties ordinary people face. He also narrowly overcame a no-confidence vote last year after a left-centrist coalition criticized his effort to raise France’s retirement age from 62 to 64.

His political bloc lost its majority in the National Assembly two years ago and has struggled to pass laws since.

He appears to think his allies can win a clearer mandate to govern, but Macron’s camp is lagging behind the National Rally in opinion polls.

A far-right victory would not automatically force out Macron, whose term ends in 2027 and who would retain significant power. But it would for the first time put the National Rally in charge of setting the parliamentary agenda and could lead to Le Pen’s protégé, Jordan Bardella, becoming prime minister.

Bardella and Le Pen are nationalists with hard-line views on immigration and are skeptical of the European Union.The National Rally is also deeply wary of additional E.U. support for Ukraine. Bardella has cultivated a youthful image and hosted political events at Paris nightclubs, while Le Pen has tried to distance herself from some parties in Europe further to the right, including Germany’s Alternative for Germany.

Macron has appealed to other parties to support a broad coalition against the far right, but his efforts have quickly faltered, with left-wing parties moving forward with their own alliance and support on the right appearing shaky.

Éric Ciotti, leader of the conservative Républicains, outraged his own party this week when he backed an alliance with the far right. In response, senior members said they had voted to oust Ciotti, who has refused to accept the decision. A court on Friday overturned his expulsion.