French protesters decry far-right shift as snap election looms

• French President Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, called snap legislative elections last 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.

Macron’s 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.

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, the chairman 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.