Rise of a Monster
In the new memoir of Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France's Front National, the powerful currents of resentment and authoritarianism that animate the far right are well on display.
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Charlie Hebdo: The Poverty of Satire
Two years after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, we consider the origin and trajectory of the publication.
French Pensions Face Squeeze From Defense Budget Hikes
French premier François Bayrou survived a confidence vote in February after promising fresh talks over pension age rise. But no change has been forthcoming — and calls for increased defense spending are pressuring pensions even further.
Marine Le Pen Would Destroy French Democracy
Emmanuel Macron has hacked away at civil liberties, with heightened police repression and ministers promising to root out “Islamo-leftism.” Marine Le Pen would be much worse — she’ll wage all-out war on France’s democratic institutions.
The King Stands Naked
The gilets jaunes movement has discredited not just Macron, but the entire French elite.
No, You Won’t Smear Our Fight Against Israeli Apartheid as “Antisemitic”
Last week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against France’s bid to criminalize the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions of Israel. The ruling was a victory for Palestine solidarity activists — and the first setback for Emmanuel Macron's attempts to smear antiracists as the “new antisemites.”
French Dockers Block Weapons to Israel
Last Wednesday, workers at a port in southern France searched a cargo ship headed for Haifa — and found it carried 19 pallets of machine-gun parts. They blocked the shipment, refusing to be complicit in Israel’s war crimes.
The French Revolution Is Still a Work in Progress
Today’s French political leaders are more likely to present the Jacobins as bloody authoritarians than forerunners of modern democracy. But redeeming their legacy is key to understanding the Revolution’s unfulfilled promise.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon Is Launching a Fresh Bid for the French Presidency
In 2017's French election, radical left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon surged to 20 percent support, only narrowly failing to make the runoff. Last month he announced his candidacy for the 2022 race — and he's trying to show that his France Insoumise movement can govern as well as protest.
Cheese, Baguettes, and Victor Hugo
France’s right wing claims “Islamo-leftism” is subverting their national culture. But “Frenchness” has always been in flux.
Emmanuel Macron Vowed to End Homelessness — but His Policies Made It Worse
Emmanuel Macron promised to end homelessness in his first year in office — but over his five-year term, it actually increased. Now, with the Left leading polls for June’s parliamentary elections, Macron’s failure on housing is coming back to haunt him.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon: We’re in Danger Because the Government No Longer Controls the Police
Emmanuel Macron’s party has accused an “incendiary” left of stirring up violent protests after the police murder of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk. For left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the problem is the government’s failure to rein in unaccountable police.
An Earthquake in the Making
A Mélenchon victory wouldn’t solve Europe’s crisis, but it will put us in a better position to rebuild the movements that can.
The National Front Isn’t Dead
The French left shouldn't rest easy — Marine Le Pen hasn't been vanquished.
The Defeat of François Mitterrand’s Reform Program Still Haunts the French Left
Despite Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s strong showing in the recent presidential campaign, France’s left was defeated again by the neoliberal center and far right. The roots of that weakness lie in the Mitterrand government’s capitulation to neoliberalism in the 1980s.
Marine Le Pen’s Pension Tightrope Act
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has often claimed to defend France’s welfare state from liberals. But as millions struck against Emmanuel Macron’s retirement reform, Le Pen wasn’t with the protesters.
In Defense of Jacobin Rage
You can’t divorce fiery emotions from the politics of revolution.
A Future in Common
Jean-Luc Mélenchon told Monday night’s Jacobin rally that the threat to the planet demands new forms of popular mobilization.
Breaking the Chains of Command
For centuries, working-class people have been sent to die in wars for empire. The rich history of soldier revolt isn’t just about foreign policy — it’s about breaking the power of the mighty in society as a whole.
Center Left Props Up Emmanuel Macron’s Austerity Coalition
France’s Parti Socialiste abstained in a confidence vote this week, allowing Emmanuel Macron’s allies to push through an austerity budget. Even as the president’s popularity flounders, the establishment center left chose to prop up his rule.