Protests Erupt In Paris After Marine Le Pen’s Party Wins Big In Parliamentary Elections

 Protests rocked Paris and several other cities across France after French President Emmanuel Macron’s party suffered massive losses in Sunday’s first round of parliamentary elections. Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populist party, the National Rally Alliance, was the big winner.

National Rally, according to Politico, came out of the first round with 34% of the vote — up from 18.7% in 2022 — which means that it is possible for them to win an outright majority next week.

Macron’s Ensemble Coalition, largely viewed as centrist, finished third in the vote count with 20% (down from 25.8% in 2022). The far left party came away with 28.1%, which Politico reported as a “strong showing” but not likely strong enough to follow it up with a majority win next week.

In the wake of the elections, left-wing protesters — reportedly an amalgam of French socialists, communists, and pro-Palestinians — descended upon Paris’ Place de la République by the thousands. Other demonstrations were reported in Strasbourg, Lyon, Nantes and Lille.

“Mass Demonstrations and Riots by Far-Left Groups alongside Islamists are ongoing tonight in the French Capital of Paris as well as several other Cities around the Country, in Response to today’s Election Results which saw the Right-Wing Populist Party, National Rally led by Marine Le Pen make Major Gains in the French Parliament,” OSINTdefender posted via X, sharing several videos of the protests. “Notice how out all of the Flags being waved by these Demonstrators, none are the French Flag.”

“Tonight, mass demonstrations and riots are occurring in Paris and other cities across France. Far-left groups and Islamists are protesting the recent election results, where Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populist party, National Rally, made significant gains in the French Parliament. Despite the intensity of the protests, it’s noteworthy that none of the demonstrators are seen waving the French flag,” another posted.

“Here’s footage from Paris tonight,” Open Source Intel posted. “Thousands of left-wing activists, along with ANTIFA, communists are protesting the French election results after left-wing parties suffered crushing defeats.”