(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) The results of Sunday’s elections in France have caused a wave of protests in both the cities of Paris and Lyon, the U.K. Metro reported.
The first round of parliamentary elections saw the Rassemblement National, the country’s right-wing party led by Marine Le Pen, accumulate the highest turnout by winning 33.15% of the vote.
The far-left New Popular Front coalition came in second with 27.99%. President Emmanuel Macron’s globalist Ensemble Alliance finished third with just 20.76%.
Since RN is considered by some to be a “far right” movement, leftist rioters took to the streets to demonstrate their opposition to the winning party, Breitbart reported.
An estimated 5,500 people gathered at the Place de la Republique in Paris, where they proceeded to set fires and smash shop windows, prompting riot police to deploy tear gas.
Pathetic.
Marine Le Pen's RN party WINS the French elections and communists and Islamists start to riot.
Vive La France! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/KqOKVQXwsR— Paul Golding (@GoldingBF) June 30, 2024
In Lyon, police sources said the protesters numbered around 800 and law enforcement prevented some from entering a local town hall.
Le Pen expressed delight after the results of the election became available.
“Democracy has spoken, and the French people have placed the National Rally and its allies in first place—and has practically erased the Macronist bloc,” she said, according to CNN
Macron ordered a snap election in early June after suffering a defeat to Le Pen in the Europe-wide Brussels elections for representatives to the European Union. The second round of elections will take place on July 7.
Le Pen stressed the importance of turning out for out for voting on that day while also conveying her optimism about the final outcome.
“Nothing has been won—and the second round will be decisive.”
The decision to call a snap election was France’s first since 1997. Though Macron was elected in 2022 to serve as the country’s president until 2027, he now faces the very unusual possibility of having to appoint a prime minister from an opposition party.
The country is scheduled to host the Summer Olympics later this month, which could be disastrous if it is unable to contain the political unrest by then.
