Organizers said around 160,000 protesters gathered for the demonstration in Paris. The Metropolitan Police, meanwhile, reported 26,000 demonstrators.
French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed conservative Michel Barnier as his new prime minister, angering many French people. They accuse the politician of ignoring the results of parliamentary elections and taking to the streets across the country. Protesters’ anger was also directed at Macron and there were calls for his resignation.
With fewer than 50 MPs, Barnier’s centre-right Republican Party is only the fifth-largest parliamentary group. The strongest was the New Popular Front (NFP). However, Macron refused to entrust them with forming a government because other parties do not want to work with the group of left-wing parties.
Following the appointment of 73-year-old Barnier, who led the Brexit negotiations as European Commissioner, trade unions, student organisations and, above all, representatives of left-wing parties called for mass demonstrations.
According to a poll by the Elabe public opinion institute, 74 percent of French people believe that Macron ignored the election results. France is threatened with a wave of strikes on October 1, as protesters in Paris have already announced.
