In response to Emmanuel Macron, the French President, unexpectedly calling parliamentary elections earlier this month, Le Petit Pantagruel, a feminist bookstore located in the southern city of Marseille, has displayed anti-fascist signage encouraging people to cast their votes. Early this week, one of the storefront’s windows fell victim to an outrageous act when an unknown object was hurled at it causing damages; with vibrant adhesive strips currently holding the window together. The incident represents a growing tension within the multicultural coastal city, with France on the verge of heading to the polls in an election anticipated to see Marine Le Pen’s extreme right-wing party – the National Rally (RN) emerging as the parliamentary majority.
The decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for parliamentary elections was Macron’s strategy to neutralize the far-right’s momentum, particularly after RN’s landslide victory in the European elections a few weeks ago. Although surveys predict that Le Pen’s hardcore anti-immigration RN will be victorious, they are speculated to lack the strength to secure an absolute parliamentary majority.
The owner of Le Petit Pantagruel, Emily Berto, is gripped by fear at the potential of the far-right reigning supreme in France. According to her, the party is considerably more extreme than what they display. Although the south of France usually sways towards RN, in recent times, the radical left, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon’s France Unbowed, has gained significant momentum in Marseille, drawing legion support from the North African migrants by motivating them to exercise their voting rights.
The two rounds of parliamentary elections will be carried out on June 30th and July 7th and are expected to be a heated race between RN and the Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing parties, including France Unbowed united one banner when elections were announced to counter the far-right’s power.
Francois Thomazeau, a 63 year old ex-journalist and now crime fiction author residing in Marseille, opines that Macron had overlooked the possibility of the left uniting when elections were called. He believes that Macron’s centrist coalition could potentially face massive losses- putting him in a tricky situation.
The Mediterranean port city of Marseille has historically been a hub for migrants, particularly North Africans, a factor that the far right has used to rally support among blue-collar voters who oppose high immigration rates. Thomazeau alluded to a longstanding bias against Arab and African migrants, which he claimed mirrors motives behind Brexit and National Front support.
The impending election has brought political discourse to typically apolitical settings, such as bakeries, according to one author. Heightened fears encompass issues of immigration, right-wing extremism, La France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France), and resentment towards Macron. The author remained uncertain of the outcome of such a volatile mix.
A 61-year-old man named Pierre Baux expressed profound concern about the upcoming elections. During a stroll in downtown Marseille, he shared his fear that if the National Rally assumes government control, it could spell disaster for France. He believes their policies exude a veneer of respectability, hiding an essentially racist agenda.
A woman who works in a soap shop near the harbour voiced her top three concerns for the election: crime rate, immigration, and cost of living, expressing indifference towards politics as a whole. She hinted at a possible inclination towards National Rally, suggesting the perceived need for new leadership. She chose to remain anonymous.