Saint-Denis, FRANCE – Jean-Luc Mélenchon had the EU in his sights as the French far-left leader launched his 2027 national team presidential election campaign on sunday.
“The European treaties are out of date,” he told a crowd that packed the central square of Saint Denis, a populous left-wing bastion north of Paris.
Mélenchon accused Europe of moral failure on immigration and what he described as “complicity” with the Israeli government in a possible reference to the war in Gaza.
He said it was time for France to stop the negotiated free trade deals reached by the EU with South American countries Mercosur and India, and to reject the “war economy”.
Mélenchon also promised a “moratorium” on all laws that he says run counter to the mandate of the French people, citing EU rules on posted workers and imports of agricultural goods made with products banned in France.
“Let us also see in the depth of the EU crisis an opportunity to finally propose a Europe free from the destructive principles of liberalism,” he said.
Mélenchon, who promised to fix the “damages” of liberal President Emmanuel Macron’s domestic policy, also had Washington in his crosshairs.
He called for a “digital decolonization” from the US, adding that the French people should be fully sovereign over their data and new AI systems.
The far-left French leader has a good chance of getting past the first round of France’s two-round voting system.
According to a recent survey published by The Parisianhe is currently VOTING about 13%, fighting with center-left and center candidates for second place in the first round of voting.
A success for Mélenchon, however, would likely allow the right-wing populist National Rally, RN, of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella win the second and final election round, where only the top two candidates challenge each other.
RN is polling over 30%, well ahead of any other contender, making it the final vote very likely – if not virtually certain.
However, the crowd that attended the far-left leaders’ rally in the sun did not seem daunted by the challenges ahead.
“We will win, we will win,” shouted his supporters on the run at Mélenchon’s address, which closed with the notes of the French national anthem – La Marseillaise – and the traditional communist song INTERNATIONAL LAW.
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