Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

'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.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×