300,000 March Against Macron
After His Appointment of Conservative Prime Minister
On Saturday 7 September, approximately 300,000 people took to the streets across France to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of conservative Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. The protests, led by left and progressive groups, reflect growing anger at Macron’s decision to bypass the election results and avoid a progressive government.
A massive rally in Paris saw 160,000 demonstrators, with thousands more gathering in cities like Lille, Bordeaux, and Marseille. The protesters are demanding that Macron respect basic democratic mechanisms and the results of the July general election, in which the left-progressive coalition, the New Popular Front (NFP), secured the most parliamentary seats.
Macron’s decision to appoint Barnier, a conservative known for his support of neoliberal policies and anti-immigration stances, over NFP’s candidate Lucie Castets has sparked outrage among progressives. Macron’s move has also been denounced for providing a backdoor entrance to power for the far-right National Rally.
Any incoming cabinet will need to rely on cross-party support to pass legislation, but the NFP has already announced it will not back Barnier’s policies, which are expected to continue Macron’s neoliberal agenda. This will leave the new government dependent on votes from the far-right, which is exactly what most voters wanted to avoid when they went to the polls in July. However, considering Barnier’s own right-wing views and allegations about secret negotiations between Macron and National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, some form of collaboration with the far-right became acceptable to Macron when faced with the possibility of losing an important platform for the neoliberal policies he wants to implement.
Speaking in Paris, Manès Nadel, leader of one of the student unions that launched the call to protest, said Barnier is “a man of the past, homophobic and anti-migrant.” He also described Macron as an autocrat who flouted the people’s vote and should resign if he is not ready to respect it. “If he doesn’t [respect the vote], we will either force him to back down or to resign,” Nadel said.
Voters in France supported the NFP because of its program, which promises a clean break from the anti-people policies of past decades. “If they [the NFP] betray us, we will be behind every barricade to remind them why we elected them. If they forget Kanaky, if they forget Palestine,” Nadel said. “Only a policy of rupture will make the far-right retreat.”
During the protests, France Unbowed parliamentarian Manuel Bompard announced that the group would continue its opposition both in parliament and on the streets. “We stand ready to mobilize on the streets if the President of the Republic continues his anti-democratic coup,” Bompard declared.
The demonstrations also expressed widespread frustration with France’s foreign policy, particularly its stance on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The recent detention of health worker Imane Maarifi, who had volunteered in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, fueled this outrage. Left groups, including France Unbowed, have criticized Macron’s government for its support of Israel and its repression of pro-Palestinian activists.
Symbols of solidarity with Palestine could be seen at many of the protests, with France Unbowed calling for a separate demonstration on 8 September to show solidarity with Palestine. Hundreds attended this event, reaffirming their support of the NFP’s promise that, once in government, they will impose a full arms embargo and sanctions on Israel until justice for Palestinians is achieved.
The weekend of protests has shown that opposition to Macron’s attempts to manipulate the election results is widespread and shows no signs of fizzling out. The coming days will reveal whether the president will take the pressure from below into consideration, but until then, plans continue to be made for a Barnier administration.
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