Left-wing French artists and thinkers are mobilising in the last days of a nail-biting race to power that may see the far right govern France for the first time.
Recent polls show the left, projected to be the second biggest group in the National Assembly, edging closer behind the far right, which is unlikely to secure an absolute majority of 289 seats.
A number of left-wing candidates chose to quit the race this week, despite making it to the second round of the parliamentary election, in an attempt to encourage tactical voting to block a majority of the far right, or Rassemblement National (RN), in tandem with the centrist bloc.
The far right is still expected to more than double its previous results, with 190 to 222 seats, in front of the left with an estimated 159 to 183 seats.
“If we do nothing, the worst is ahead of us,” said economist Julia Cage, speaking to thousands of left-wing sympathisers on the Place de la Republique in Paris on Wednesday evening.
“The worst is the far right – for our rights, for our freedom, for our humanity,” Ms Cage told a rally in support of the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) coalition.
With no clear majority and a polarised political scene, many fear that France, a country unused to coalitions, will be ungovernable.
President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp is likely to come third, with 110 to 135 MPs, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive.
Dual nationals feel targeted
Like many other prominent artists and intellectuals speaking in Paris, Ms Cage highlighted her non-French ancestry – in her case, Spanish – to better criticise the racist undertones of the RN's programme
“I am French and a dual national. Should I be ashamed?” she asked.
Ms Cage is from the north of France, where a large number of RN MPs were elected in the first election round on Sunday, meaning they obtained at least 50 per cent of the vote.
“Sunday night, I cried,” she told the crowd, before calling on centrists and traditional right wingers to stop “demonising” the left and vote against the far right this weekend.
The far right has said it wants to restrict “sensitive” jobs to dual nationals and restrict foreigners' access to unemployment benefits. Its ability to link shrinking public services, particularly in rural areas, to migration is one of the main reasons for its soaring popularity.
The NPF formed for this snap election is inspired by the Popular Front, which was created in 1936 to fight fascism in France and introduced landmark policies such as paid holidays.
Also present at the Paris rally was singer-songwriter Zaho de Sagazan, who sang her hit song Tristesse, replacing the lyrics with “RN get out of here. Far right I hate you. Racists I hate you”, to a cheering crowd.
Writer and Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux also sharply criticised Mr Macron and his allies for equating the far right to the leftist alliance by describing it as a far-left, dangerous group.
A huge amount of media attention has been given to one of its members, Jean-Luc Melenchon, who leads the France Unbowed party.
RN president Jordan Bardella refused to debate on Wednesday night with anyone else but Mr Melenchon, effectively shunning Green leader Marine Tondelier, who accused Mr Bardella of sexism. TV channel BFMTV replaced the debate with a succession of one-on-one interviews.
Accusations of anti-Semitism
France Unbowed has been targeted by “a campaign of defamation and accusations of anti-Semitism … for rebelling against the silence that followed 35,000 dead in Gaza”, said Ms Ernaux, speaking in a pre-recorded message.
An abrasive figure, Mr Melenchon has chosen to campaign on the war in Gaza and put forward a lawyer of Palestinian origin, Rima Hassan, who has been vocal about defending Palestinian rights.
The feeling of having been unfairly targeted was widely shared among the audience.
Mr Macron's “ni-ni” strategy – neither the left nor the far right – “drove people mad”, said Aurelie Barnier, a 48-year-old art critic and curator.
She said she was “ashamed” by the far right's popularity on the eve of the Olympic Games, which start this month in Paris.
“We wanted to organise virtuous games in a country that produced the Enlightenment,” Ms Barnier told The National. “Instead, international athletes will be welcomed by a xenophobic party.”
Just days before the second round on July 7, there was an awareness in the crowd that little could be done to stop the RN tide. Many said they found comfort in the gathering as they braced themselves for the results.
“It's important for us to feel we're not alone. I don't think we'll convince people who already vote for the RN but maybe some centrists will hear us,” said Anais, a 30-year-old restaurant manager.
Speaking as the evening wound down, actress Judith Godreche said: “On July 8, when numbers will rain on us and the results will break our backs, you'll be here in my memory as the most beautiful counterweight in the world.”
