Paris is burning: Rioting leftists besiege French capital after populist National Rally party victory
The streets of Paris became a war zone overnight Sunday as tens of thousands of left-wing rioters took to the streets in fiery opposition to the historic election victory by the country’s right-wing National Rally (NR).
Rioters smashed storefront windows, vandalized monuments and set massive bonfires in public squares after the election results revealed the party, headed by nationalist Marine Le Pen, took 33% of the vote in the decisive first round of France’s legislative elections.
Stunning video spread widely online showed mass groups of demonstrators clashing with cops, launching fireworks that at times bathed city streets in an eerie blood-red glow.
Plumes of tear gas smoke wafted throughout the crowds as they battled it out in the streets with riot-gear clad police officers, the wild melee punctuated by the sounds of coughing and shattering glass.
A united bloc of left-leaning parties called the New Popular Front coalition nabbed 28% of the vote for a second-place finish, while incumbent President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party scraped together just 20% of the vote.
The dead-last finish marked a stinging defeat for Macron, who called for the snap runoff election the day after his party was defeated by NR in June’s parliamentary elections as a Hail Mary attempt to thwart the NR’s continued rise.
But the ascent of right-of-center party in a free and fair election proved too much for many Paris youths to bear, who directed their anger toward vandalizing their own city’s landmarks and businesses.
Much like the US, France has been beset by an overwhelming influx of migrants in recent years. Le Pen’s promise to crack down on illegal immigration as a major campaign platform has clearly resonated with a wide swath of the nation’s electorate.
Tapping into that frustration, Le Pen managed to build a coalition of supporters across the country, particularly in farming communities and other small towns. She’s also been a major presence on social media, with more than 1.1 million followers on TikTok.
Sunday’s voter turnout was up sharply over 2022’s tally, with 60% going to the polls compared to 39.4% last year.
French voters will return to the polls on July 7 for the second round, and if NR secures a majority in the country’s National Assembly, Macron will have to appoint a prime minister from the party, according to AP.
Should Le Pen and NR prevail, it would be France’s first right-wing government since World War II.
