Mélenchon Joins Paris Student Protests 7 Months Before Vote as He Urges Nonviolence
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 8
Mélenchon Joins Paris Student Protests 7 Months Before Vote as He Urges Nonviolence
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 8
Summary
Jean-Luc Mélenchon appeared at a mass Paris high-school protest Tuesday, turning the student movement into a visible campaign-stage test seven months before France’s presidential election.
The 75-year-old France Unbowed leader has softened his usual combative tone, urging students to keep protesting but to use “nothing but nonviolent methods” after clashes with police alarmed a wider public.
Those protests have spread nationwide over recent weeks, driven by complaints over teacher shortages, poor school conditions, spending cuts and rising prices, while also drawing thousands of arrests and hundreds of injuries.
For Mélenchon, the unrest offers a potent opening with young voters but also a risk that association with street violence could undercut his push for broader mainstream acceptance.