The streets, before the ballot box. On Saturday, June 15, the French demonstrated as one, in a bid to stem the electoral tide that is poised to propel the far right to power for the first time since the advent of the Fifth Republic. Thousands of demonstrators across France were determined to make history. From the south of the country in Marseille all the way to the north in Lille, 182 rallies across the country were counted by the French national trade union CGT, which had called for demonstrations against the far right along with four other unions, several associations and left-wing parties. According to the police, 250,000 people took part nationwide.

While most of the rallies were calm, a few confrontations led to 20 arrests in France, including 9 in Paris, and 16 in police custody nationwide, with 5 arrests in Paris.

Many people took part: Young people, families with children, retired people, both undermined and animated by a worrisome sensation: The anxiety of what's to come after July 7, when the second round of the snap parliamentary elections will take place, and the inextinguishable will to fight to the end. Despair was in the air on Saturday, perhaps suggesting the scenario seems pre-written? "I don't think the left can win these elections, but it can prevent the RN [Rassemblement National, far-right] from having a majority. This could be the start of something," said Laurent Dolias. Is this really the prevailing sentiment? "Make a stand!," "It's not over!," howled many others. In any case, at 54, this history-geography teacher from Aix-en-Provence came to Marseille "to be able to express himself and not feel all alone."

'Please rise to the occasion'

In the dense, festive parade that set off from Marseille's Vieux-Port in the early afternoon, bringing together several thousand people, Axelle Beaumont, 27, made her way up the city brandishing a homemade placard: "Young people piss of the Front national," referring to the former name of the RN. "Revulsed by the fear of the RN coming to power," "which could let climate refugees die on our doorstep," the young woman welcomed the formation of the Nouveau Front Populaire "with joy. All the values of the leftists are coming together today and we know that, if we put political egos aside, it can work," she said. "But the NUPES," the former left-wing political alliance, "had failed, so we remain cautious."

Since the dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale decided on by Emmanuel Macron, demonstrators still wanted to believe in the awakening. "Meloni, Trump, Bardella. Get me out of here!" read the placard held by Mélanie, 26, in Strasbourg, where the ecologist mayor, Jeanne Barseghian, kicked off the demonstration with a clear statement. "Faced with the endangerment of human rights, we won't give up!"

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