London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

'Neither Macron nor Le Pen', the rallying cry of disillusioned French students

'Neither Macron nor Le Pen', the rallying cry of disillusioned French students

French students protested outside the Sorbonne in Paris and other universities on Thursday, expressing their disillusionment with the choice on offer at the presidential election, shouting "Neither Macron nor Le Pen".
With 10 days to go before the runoff of a presidential election that pits far-right leader Marine Le Pen against incumbent Emmanuel Macron, the student protests are another sign that the president can no longer count on voters rejecting the far-right en masse.

At the Sorbonne, the epicentre of many French student revolts over the years including the May 1968 uprising, a few hundred gathered on its front square in Paris's Latin quarter.

"We're tired of always having to vote for the less bad of the two, and that's what explains this revolt. Neither Macron nor Le Pen," Anais Jacquemars, a 20-year old philosophy student at the Sorbonne, told Reuters.

All the left-wing candidates were eliminated in the first round of the election on April 10. Many of the students said they'd rather abstain in the runoff than put a Macron vote in the ballot box to block Le Pen from winning power.

Some said Macron's policies during his first term in power had veered too much to the right, citing police brutality against Yellow Vest protesters or measures to crack down on what Macron calls "Islamist separatism".

"I'm planning to abstain, I advise everyone to abstain," said Gabriel Vergne, a 19-year old student at the elite Sciences-Po school of government. He voted in the first round for left-wing firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, who missed the runoff by just 400,000 votes.

"I think the fight no longer lies in the ballot box. Today, this election has been largely discredited ... so it has become necessary to bring the fight to other fronts," Vergne said, calling for strikes with workers' unions.

The rejection by left-wing voters of the so-called "republican front", whereby French voters traditionally rally behind the mainstream candidate facing a far right contender, is a growing concern in Macron's camp.

Opinion polls show the race between the two candidates is extremely tight, with Macron leading by a 5- to 10-point margin over Le Pen, sometimes within the margin of error and meaning a Le Pen victory is not impossible.

Students calling on voters to abstain in this election are in stark contrast with the situation two decades ago, when Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the far right National Front and Marine Le Pen's father, faced then President Jacques Chirac in the 2002 election runoff.

Mass demonstrations were seen across France as students voiced anger at Jean-Marie Le Pen's surprise qualification for the final round and urged French people to vote for Chirac, a conservative, who ended up winning with over 82% of the vote against Le Pen.

The National Front has since been renamed the National Rally under Marine Le Pen.

"Today, the National Front is in the second round and is very, very close to winning, and people are protesting a lot more against Macron than against the National Front," Alexis, 23, another philosophy student at the Sorbonne, said.

"I think that's terrible, I think it's a failure because it contributes to the normalisation of the ideas of the National Front," he added, declining to say who he will be voting for.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×