French election: Thousands protest against far-right ahead of presidential run-off

"Better a vote that stinks than a vote that kills". In Paris and in towns and cities across France, thousands of people protested against the far-right ahead of next weekend's presidential run-off.

Many made it clear that in saying "no to the far right" they did not support Emmanuel Macron either — but would reluctantly cast their ballots for the current president in order to keep out his far-right rival.

"Not a single vote for Marine Le Pen!" chanted people in Lille, where several hundred demonstrators turned out. Ousted left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon repeated the phrase several times in a speech to supporters last weekend.

"We are here to say no to the far right. (...) for society, freedoms but also the climate. It would be a real regression if it came to power," said Jean-François Julliard , Managing Director of Greenpeace France. He was one of several thousand people who protested in Paris.

One sign in Paris recalled: "2002 was no, 2022 is still no", a reference to the "republican front" which saw millions mobilise to re-elect Jacques Chirac and keep out the far-right former "Front National" leader Jean-Marie Le Pen who had made it to the second round.

There were similar scenes in Marseille too, the city where Emmanuel Macron held a meeting on Saturday. "We are here to block the far right", exclaimed one high school student, Medina Bayoui.

In Lyon, where the demonstrators were mostly young people, Emma, ​​a 23-year-old student, said she was taking a stand "against the trivialisation of dangerous ideas, against racism, exclusion, potential dictatorship".

Bruno, a 60-year-old teacher, came from Chambéry to Lyon to say "no to nationalism, populism, xenophobia".

Marine Le Pen, who campaigned earlier in