The Daily Populous Sunday March 23rd, 2025 morning edition
Authored by lemonde.fr and submitted by sovalente

NewsNearly 91,000 people took part in protests across France, said the interior ministry. Many of those marching highlighted the growing strength of reactionary political forces, in France but also in the United States.

Tens of thousands of people in Paris and other French cities rallied against racism and the rise of the far right on Saturday, March 22. Some protesters took aim at the US administration of Donald Trump and others carrying Palestinian flags. Police officers and some protesters clashed in Paris. The rallies occurred amid the rightward shift in French politics, with the government pledging to tighten immigration policies and border controls.

Nearly 91,000 people took part in protests across France, said the interior ministry, with the Paris rally attracting 21,500. Two people were arrested and three people injured, including a riot police officer, during the clashes in Paris, the ministry statement added. Elsewhere in France, there were three other arrests. Many of those marching highlighted the growing strength of reactionary political forces, in France but also in the United States.

In the French capital, thousands of people took to the streets. "Fascism is gangrene from Washington to Paris," read one placard. "The far right is on the rise everywhere in Europe," said Evelyne Dourille, a 74-year-old pensioner. "It's scary because in France we see far-right ideas becoming more and more commonplace, even among ministers in this government."

Read more Subscribers only How Trumpism is permeating French politics

'Far-right ideas are contaminating even the government'

One American protester said similar demonstrations should be taking place in the United States. "America is sliding towards fascism," said the 55-year-old woman. Aurélie Trouvé, a lawmaker for the hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party, pointed to the growing popularity of the far-right party of Marine Le Pen in France. "Far-right ideas are contaminating even the government," she said.

A protestor holds a placard reading "A beautiful country is not nazi" during a rally in Nantes on March 22, 2025. SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS / AFP

A demonstrator holds a placard reading "Make racists afraid again" during the International Day against Racism and Fascism in Nantes on March 22, 2025. SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS / AFP

Read more Subscribers only Musk is ruining Tesla for these French owners

In the southern port city of Marseille, some 3,300 people took to the streets, while 2,600 protested in Lille in the north, according to police. "Against state Islamophobia" and "Tesla is the new swastika," said some of the placards.

Ines Frehaut, a student taking part in her first demonstration, said some of the statements from France's hardline interior minister worried her. "When you see what Bruno Retailleau has said about Islam, Algeria and the wearing of the veil, it's serious!" she said.

A protestor holds a sign reading "Trump, Musk = Nazi, Bardella & Macron accomplices" during a demonstration on Place de la Republique in Paris on March 22, 2025, as part of the international day against racism and fascism. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP

A woman holds a placard reading "Against fascism and misery, social struggle is necessary" as she walks as part of the international day against racism and fascism, in Paris, on March 22, 2025. THIBAULT CAMUS / AP

Read more Subscribers only French interior minister announces new measures to reduce immigration

The protests took place a day after the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. "The situation is serious," the Human Rights League said, pointing to an "alarming increase" in racist acts. "There is a global reactionary offensive against foreigners and their children, against Muslims," added Dominique Sopo, head of SOS Racisme, also pointing to increasing racist and anti-Semitic acts.

In the run-up to the rallies, the LFI party caused an uproar in France by publishing the image of Cyril Hanouna – one of the most influential stars of right-wing media in the country – as part of a campaign calling on people to turn out for the anti-racism protests. The image pictured Hanouna, who was born into a Jewish family that had immigrated to France from Tunisia. Critics accused the LFI of imitating the anti-Semitic tropes of the Third Reich. Key LFI figures admitted publishing the image was a "mistake" and it was withdrawn.

Bagel__Enjoyer on March 23rd, 2025 at 01:10 UTC »

Not seeing any French flag…

OtherAd4337 on March 23rd, 2025 at 00:23 UTC »

French Jew here - some much needed context around these rallies that Le Monde brushed off very quickly all the way at the end of the article:

The rallies were partly organized by La France Insoumise, a far-left party that has been embroiled in almost daily antisemitism scandals for the past year and a half, and that has advertised for the rallies using Nazi references including a 30s-style poster of a Jewish journalist and references to “cutting hair to make duvets from it” (a reference to the Holocaust). They took down the poster but refused to apologize for anything.

The rallies’ stated purpose were specifically to protest racism and the far-right, and specifically not to protest antisemitism (which is statistically the biggest form of racial hatred in France right now). Nothing wrong with that of course - you don’t have to protest all types of hatred simultaneously, but media articles stating that the rallies were meant to protest antisemitism are plain wrong.

There is at least one instance caught on video of protesters at one of the rallies chanting “Down with the State, the Jews, and the fascists!”

TLDR: These weren’t the wholesome anti-racism rallies that left-wing media is portraying. These rallies were heavily compromised by blatant antisemitism.

According_Smoke1385 on March 22nd, 2025 at 23:10 UTC »

Seems the whole world is fighting against fascism and oligarchy. God speed to the good guys 🙏🏼✊