French Left-Wing Candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon Endorses Escalating Student Protests
Mélenchon praised the unrest as politically mature and said 10,000 supporters heard his call to scrap selective university admissions.
- On Sunday in Clermont-Ferrand, French far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon celebrated high school student protesters at a rally, praising their "high level of political and union maturity" while proposing to lower the voting age to 16.
- Nationwide protests over deteriorating school buildings and selective university admissions have shaken France, with police making more than 6,600 arrests as Mélenchon denounced selective admissions as turning knowledge into "merchandise."
- Targeting older voters, Mélenchon proposed lowering the retirement age to 60 from 62 while calling President Donald Trump an "adversary" over tariffs and opposing NATO, stating "We're not preparing our children and grandchildren to die for some hazardous operation concocted by NATO."
- With President Emmanuel Macron unable to run again, polls show Mélenchon trailing far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and center-right rival Edouard Philippe, while Socialist voters recently selected Raphaël Glucksmann as their presidential candidate.
- Next year's two-round election in April and May represents a turning point for France, with more protests planned for Tuesday and next Saturday as the student movement continues to shape the campaign.
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Find our editorial of this Wednesday, October 14, 2026. True, the scene was carefully scripted for television, but the rock star reception of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, yesterday in Paris, at the beginning
In France, violent demonstrations against the poor conditions in the country's educational institutions continue. Several left-wing politicians have joined the student movement. This puts them in a good position for the upcoming elections, says a correspondent.
Far-Left Mélenchon Turns French Riots into Fuel for His 2027 Presidential Bid
Jean-Luc Mélenchon has moved to fold France’s violent student riots directly into his 2027 presidential campaign, bringing protesters onto the stage and amplifying calls for a ‘general mobilization’ during a major rally on Sunday. With LFI figures already active around blockades and street unrest, the party is increasingly using the riots to advance its broader agenda of a Sixth Republic and a ‘New France’ built on immigrants.
Left Candiato supports student protests in France and proposes a 16-year-old vote and an independent foreign policy.
France’s far-left presidential candidate cheers Gen Z school protests – WTOP News
PARIS (AP) — French far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon on Sunday celebrated high school students whose protest movement has shaken France as he called at a campaign rally for lowering the voting age to 16 and an end to selective admission to universities. The fiery anti-capitalist Mélenchon also took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump,...
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