PARIS: Demonstrations took place in Paris and cities across France on Saturday to protest against the far-right National Rally (RN) ahead of upcoming elections to the French parliament.
Following RN's surge in last Sunday's European elections, police said 350,000 people were expected to march and 21,000 officers had been mobilised after labour unions, student groups and rights groups called for rallies to oppose the anti-immigration, eurosceptic party. At least 150 marches were expected in cities including Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon and Lille.
In Paris where up to 100,000 people were expected to turn out a march will set off from Place de La Republique, in the east, going through the Bastille square to Nation.
Speaking from Place de Republique, hard-left CGT union leader Sophie Binet told reporters: "We are marching because we are extremely worried that (RN's head) Jordan Bardella could become the next Prime Minister ... We want to prevent this disaster."
President Emmanuel Macron called a snap legislative election, to be held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, after his centrist alliance was trounced by the RN in last Sunday's European Parliament ballot.
A first series of opinion polls have projected that the RN could win the election and be in a position to form the next government.
A poll conducted for Le Point magazine published on Friday forecast RN would lead in the first round of the parliamentary election with 29.5% of votes, narrowly ahead of a coalition of left-wing parties called the Popular Front on 28.5%. Macron's centrist camp was on 18%.
France forward Marcus Thuram on Saturday called on voters in the country to "fight" to stop the far right coming to power in upcoming snap elections.
"I think the situation is sad and very serious," the 26-year-old forward with Italian champions Inter Milan told reporters in Paderborn.
At least two polls have put the left not far behind the RN and ahead of Macron's group.
In Tours, western France, where hundreds of protesters were taking part in a March, a banner read: "For liberties, for rights, for a social and democratic republic, against far-right ideas and against racism". Several banners read: "young people hate the FN (the RN's former name), while a pensioner carried a banner that read: "Old people also hate the RN". — Agencies
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