According to the French Ministry of the Interior, up to 21,000 police and gendarmes participated. Protesters gathered at the Place de la République and then marched through eastern Paris. Demonstrations were also organized in Nantes, Rennes, Montpellier, Nice, Dijon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux. The marches became the first major action of the created “New Popular Front”
Crowds have been gathering daily since the national anti-immigration movement made historic gains in the European Parliament elections, crushing Macron’s supporters and forcing him to dissolve the National Assembly.
New elections to the lower house of Parliament were scheduled in two rounds: June 30 and July 7. Macron will remain president until 2027 and is in charge of foreign policy and defense, but his presidency will be weakened if he wins the National Rally and takes control of the government and domestic policy.
