Thousands protest in France against new prime minister

A woman holds a banner reading ‘Barnier resignation (referring to the new PM)’, during a protest after the appointment two days ago of a right-wing prime minister following July snap elections, in Nantes, western France on September 7, 2024. Agence France-Presse

PARIS — Thousands of left-wing demonstrators on Saturday took to the streets across France to protest against the nomination of the center-right Michel Barnier as prime minister and denounce President Emmanuel Macron’s “power grab”.

Protests took place in Paris as well as other cities including Nantes in the west, Nice and Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.

Macron on Thursday appointed Barnier, a 73-year-old former foreign minister who acted as the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, as prime minister, seeking to move forward after July snap elections in which his centrist alliance lost its relative majority in parliament.

READ: France’s Macron accelerates efforts to break PM deadlock

Barnier said on Friday night that he was open to naming ministers of all political stripes, including “people from the left”.

But a left-wing coalition, which emerged as France’s largest force after the elections, although without enough seats for an overall majority, has greeted Macron’s appointment of Barnier with dismay.

On Saturday, many demonstrators directed their anger at Macron and some called on him to resign.

“The Fifth Republic is collapsing,” said protester Manon Bonijol. “Expressing one’s vote will be useless as long as Macron is in power,” added the 21-year-old.

READ: France’s new PM constructs cabinet under far right shadow

Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, whose France Unbowed party (LFI) and allies belong to the left-wing bloc, has charged that the election had been “stolen from the French” and called on French people to take to the streets.

On Saturday, he urged supporters to prepare for battle. “There will be no pause,” he vowed.

“Democracy isn’t just the art of accepting that you’ve won, it’s also the humility of accepting that you’ve lost,” Melenchon said from a truck at the Paris protest.

Abel Couaillier, a 20-year-old student, said he was stunned by the appointment of Barnier, whom he called an “old elephant”.

“I am still young, I want to believe that we can change things and I will continue to go and vote,” added Couaillier.

The left-wing alliance wanted Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist, to become prime minister, but Macron quashed the idea, arguing that she would not survive a confidence vote in the hung parliament.

Police expected up to 8,000 people to protest in Paris. Smaller protests took place in other cities across France.