Compared with the famous événements of May 1968, the flurry of leftwing student demonstrations that took place in Paris last week was small in scale. But the protesters’ message – echoed in other university towns – was enough to make the national media sit up and take notice. One student summed up the mood by telling Le Monde he saw little difference between a vote for Marine Le Pen or Emmanuel Macron at the forthcoming presidential runoff ballot. “Young people are being given a false choice between two options that are equally bad,” said Baptiste, 22. “There’s a growing rebellion and rejection of this.”
It is the vital task of a newly galvanised Mr Macron to ensure that this is a minority view come Sunday, when the second round takes place. With some success, he has begun to address the priorities of youthful voters who originally supported Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left platform. In a rally at the weekend, he pledged a new focus on environmental targets to make France “the first leading nation to end oil, gas and coal consumption”. Belatedly, the election spotlight is also turning on to the aggressive xenophobia running through Ms Le Pen’s programme, as her policy on banning headscarves in public spaces comes under critical scrutiny.
