In Paris, joy and creeping fears after French far right’s fall from grace
Al Jazeera
Le Pen’s National Rally movement dropped from first to third place in an election week, but its relative rise remains a worry.
Paris, France – “Of course, we went to vote for Melenchon,” says Houcine, a 49-year-old butcher of Moroccan descent in Belleville, a diverse Parisian neighbourhood.
“On Sunday, I went to the polling station again, but it was closed. A woman explained to me that the left candidate had already won and been elected deputy after the first round. I didn’t even know,” he adds with a smile that lights up his face.
Jean-Luc Melenchon is the 72-year-old veteran socialist heading up the New Popular Front (NFP), a left-wing alliance that secured most seats in the second round of recent parliamentary elections, crucially stopping the far right from seizing power.
Houcine, a father of three who moved to France 26 years ago, embodies the joyful spirit among marginalised communities in Paris following Sunday’s run-off.
The clouds hovering over Belleville, home to North African restaurants, Asian food shops and a few gentrified bars, fail to dampen the mood.
