In France, High Schoolers are Beaten, Choked, and Gassed
For over a week, high school students and teachers in France have been protesting the state’s abandonment of the education system. The government response: send in police to subdue them.
32 Article(s) by: Marlon Ettinger
Marlon Ettinger is the author of Zemmour and Gaullism and the cohost of Flep24, the French Legislative Elections Podcast for 2024.
Jordan Bardella Isn’t Such a Friend of Jews After All
New revelations allege French far-right leader Jordan Bardella was once an obsessive antisemite who wrote that Jews dominate and rob other peoples. While his National Rally party has airbrushed its image, the conspiratorial worldview remains at its core.
France’s Left Faces the 2027 Election Divided
The primary in France’s Parti Socialiste will not likely pick the winner of the 2027 presidential election. But it will decide whether the party seeks compromise on the Left, or else directs its fire against rival left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Faced With Record Fires, France Skimps on Fire Crews
This summer, France again saw hellish heat waves and record-high wildfires. But the job of dealing with fires is increasingly pushed onto volunteers, as an austerity government refuses to invest in its professional firefighting force.
France Needs a President Who Isn’t for the Bosses
France’s first presidential debate on Thursday was hosted by employers’ group Medef. Entrepreneurs laughed when left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for wage raises, but he was deadly serious.
In France, Lawfare Is Used to Silence Pro-Palestine Lawmaker
France’s political elites have made vague criticisms of Benjamin Netanyahu but refused to denounce the genocide in Gaza. Now left-wing lawmaker Rima Hassan has been dragged to trial because she defends Palestinians’ right to resist occupation.
His Rivals Wrote Him Off, but Jean-Luc Mélenchon Is Back
Critics of French left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon have repeatedly claimed that he’s finished. But as he launches his latest presidential campaign, his popularity among working-class and minority voters is again making him a real contender.
Jeffrey Epstein’s French Allies Should Be Exposed
The latest release of Epstein files sheds more light on his ruling-class allies. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has resisted calls for a public debate on the subject despite Jeffrey Epstein’s far-reaching relations in business and diplomatic circles.
For Nicolas Sarkozy, Far-Right Rule Is Tolerable
France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy has called on his allies to stop demonizing Marine Le Pen. It’s part of a broader shift in establishment conservatism toward open collaboration with her far-right party.
French Car Workers Don’t Want to Make Military Drones
Leading French automaker Renault is reportedly converting some production sites to make military drones. It’s stirred discontent among car workers in France, who say they didn’t sign up for Europe’s rearmament push.
Emmanuel Macron Isn’t Really Halting Retirement Reform
France’s government has survived a confidence vote thanks to the Parti Socialiste’s abstention. While Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promises to suspend unpopular changes to pensions, unions object that the retirement age hike has merely been delayed.
Sébastien Lecornu Wants to Cut Everything but the Military
France’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has had a rocky start. Yet as armed forces minister, he has already proved himself where it counts: loyally defending Emmanuel Macron’s austerity plans while pushing for ever higher military spending.
In France, Too, Billionaire Tycoons Are Silencing Their Critics
In France, right-wingers love to pose as defenders of free speech. Yet the takeover of media by a cast of billionaire pro-Trump tycoons means that just a handful of individuals have a veto over huge swaths of the press.
The Countless Failed Attempts to Demonize France Insoumise
Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Insoumise is the biggest radical-left force in Europe. Liberal opinion seethes against all aspects of the movement — but Mélenchon’s comrades haven’t been thrown off course.
French Leaders Are Using Trump’s Trade War to Push Austerity
European leaders have lined up to condemn Donald Trump’s tariff plans as absurd. Yet some are also using the crisis to push their existing agendas — with France’s government stepping up pressure for sweeping budget cuts.
Rebuilding the Left in One of France’s Poorest Cities
Roubaix used to be home to France’s textile industry — but doesn’t have the same battalions of factory labor as it once did. For France Insoumise, the challenge is to rebuild the Left’s roots in working-class communities.
France’s “War Economy” Is a Prelude to Cutting the Welfare State
In recent months, Emmanuel Macron insisted on the need to slash public debt, yet now he calls for huge military spending. The call to remilitarize has become the center of the French president’s agenda — and offers a pretext for even further cuts to welfare.
François Bayrou Under Fire Over School Abuse Scandal
Dozens of statements to a French court tell of decades of sexual abuse at a Catholic school. The case has also created a political crisis, with media allegations that today’s prime minister François Bayrou knew what was going on but failed to act.
In France, Ordinary Consumers Fund Tax Breaks for the Wealthy
Emmanuel Macron’s government gave tax breaks for France’s wealthiest while counting on purchase taxes paid by ordinary consumers. Now saying it has a budget hole to fill, his administration is again expecting working-class people to pick up the bill.
The Break-In at Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s House Is Disturbing
A break-in at the country home of Jean-Luc Mélenchon saw his house graffitied with far-right slogans and a swastika. The troubling attack followed past assassination plots against the French left-wing leader — but international media totally ignored it.