PARIS (Reuters) – Thousands of anti-far right protesters marched across France on Saturday as opponents of presidential candidate Marine Le Pen seek to form a united front to prevent her from winning an election runoff against incumbent Emmanuel Macron on April 24.
Police have warned of possible incidents as demonstrators convene in some 30 cities.
Macron, a pro-European Union centrist, won the presidency in 2017 after easily beating Le Pen when voters rallied behind him in the runoff to keep her far-right party out of power.
This year, the first round of voting last Sunday set up the same battle, but Macron is facing a much tougher challenge.
In central Paris, thousands of people gathered chanting anti-far right slogans and warning of democratic upheaval if Le Pen were to win. One banner read: “Against the far-right. For justice and equality, not Le Pen at the Elysee,” referring to the French president’s official residence.
“If the far-right is in power we will see a major collapse of the democratic, anti-racism and progressive camps,” Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racism, which along with dozens of rights groups, unions and associations called for the protests, told Reuters.
“People need to realize that despite their anger towards Emmanuel Macron and his policies, there is no equivalence between a liberal, conservative candidate and a far-right candidate.”
Macron, who will hold a rally in Marseille later in the day as he tries to convince left-wing voters to pick him on April 24, is slightly ahead in opinion polls.
But prior to the first round on April 10 Le Pen successfully tapped into anger over the cost of living and a perception that Macron is disconnected from everyday hardships. That saw her finish with 23.1% of votes compared to 27.85% for Macron.
Le Pen, whose stance is anti-immigration and eurosceptic, has tried to soften her image and that of the National Unification Party in recent years. Opponents, including Macron, said her show was full of lies and false promises – an accusation Le Pen dismissed.
Speaking to journalists on the halt of the campaign in southern France, Le Pen dismissed the protests as undemocratic.