'Neither Macron nor Le Pen', the rallying cry of disillusioned French students

[Celerity]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/neither-macron-nor-le-pen-rallying-cry-disillusioned-french-students-2022-04-14/

PARIS (Reuters) - French students protested outside the Sorbonne in Paris and other universities on Thursday, expressing their disillusionment with the choice on offer at the presidential election, shouting "Neither Macron nor Le Pen".

With 10 days to go before the runoff of a presidential election that pits far-right leader Marine Le Pen against incumbent Emmanuel Macron, the student protests are another sign that the president can no longer count on voters rejecting the far-right en masse.

At the Sorbonne, the epicentre of many French student revolts over the years including the May 1968 uprising, a few hundred gathered on its front square in Paris's Latin quarter.

"We're tired of always having to vote for the less bad of the two, and that's what explains this revolt. Neither Macron nor Le Pen," Anais Jacquemars, a 20-year old philosophy student at the Sorbonne, told Reuters.

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Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[MoonlitKnight]

1. I can understand the frustration

It’s like only having a choice between Mitt Romney and Ron DeSantis. But when those are the only choices left you have to hold your nose and pick Romney.

[JohnSJ]

6. Exactly. This is the same mindset that gave us trump

[OnDoutside]

2. Time to throw on a pair of big boy/girl pants. Life is rarely black or white.

[DBoon]

3. an attitude mocked in this meme

[Scrivener7]

4. Oh, Lord. Wish I could make them understand what all those voters who "just weren't

excited" about Hillary cost us.

[markie]

5. oh, the idealism of youth...

somebody please tell them that until they can productively make change... that the less bad is a whole lot better than the most bad

[MineralMan]

7. Guess what..

Devinez quoi. Il n'y a que deux choix.

[Celerity]

9. 2 outcomes, but there are 3 choices. The third choice (not voting) very likely aids Le Pen

[TheBlackAdder]

8. Message from the USA: Sit back, be disillusioned, allow a Trump to decimate your country and cry.

[Tommy Carcetti]

10. French, several weeks later:

"I don't know how we ended up with Le Pen as our President!"

[Boomerproud]

11. Wake up students.

Le Pen is toxic. Period. You won't recognize your country if she "wins".

[DFW]

12. Alors: STOP RUNNING BUREAUCRATS AS CANDIDATES!

But of course, they won't.

The rigidly ideological French left is partially responsible for Le Pen's success, so their complaints fall on deaf ears with me. I'm there once a week for work, have been for decades, speak the language close to fluently, and have LOTS of friends there.

Macron is the only choice here. The French need to find a sensible center-left candidate NOW, start grooming him/her for next time, preferably NOT from the ranks of the current bureaucracy. If they don't, they will be singing the same tune during the next presidential election campaign.

[dixiechiken1]

13. Oh dear god...

This scares the living hell out of me. If all these students decide to pull a Susan Sarandon and just take their votes and go home, they're going to fuck around and find out. This is not good for France, not good for the EU, and not good for the rest of the world.

[Meowmee]

14. I was never this stupid when I was young

I became a citizen at 24 and always voted always against fascism which is the only choice.