Macron promises ‘total transparency’ in France after protests turn into widespread unrest – POLITICO

Mélenchon, along with left-wing representatives from several other parties, joined Saturday’s protests and encouraged his supporters to attend, while condemning the looting and violence. He said accusations that he was responsible for the chaos were aimed at weakening his presidential bid, and accused Macron of “letting the situation deteriorate” without offering solutions to quell the anger.

Mélenchon is currently in a tight race with center-left candidate Raphaël Glucksmann and center-right candidate Edouard Philippe to clinch second place behind far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in next year’s elections. The top two candidates in the election will advance to a second round if no candidate obtains a majority of votes in the first round.

“France’s image, its credibility and its influence in the world are also at stake,” Philippe said before Macron’s statement. “These images of violence have consequences that extend well beyond our borders. »

Le Pen and her far-right National Rally brandished these violent images to present themselves as the candidate of a “peaceful France”. The National Rally accused Macron and his government of being the “party of chaos,” and Mélenchon’s France Insoumise of “legitimizing violence.”

The protesters had “legitimate social demands,” Le Pen said. “The French are tired of being stuck between austerity measures and heavy taxation from the government and insurgent activists.”

As the US midterm elections approach on November 3, President Donald Trump has used the violence to blame migration. “France is burning! The immigration of people from a completely different world, of people with hatred in their hearts, has broken this once great country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Sunday afternoon.