Tensions Over Minority-Only Meetings Spell Political Trouble for France’s Left-Wing

“La France Insoumise” leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, awaits the presentation of his party to the 2019 European Parliament. (Flickr)

A French student union admitted to having hosted minority-only meetings, which white students were banned from attending, on March 17. The controversy has revealed a deep fracture within France’s left-wing movement, posing a serious threat to its ability to unify against the right-wing heading into the 2022 general elections. 

In recent years France’s left, which was not long ago dominated by the establishment Socialist party, has fractured into three main parties: the Greens, the Socialists, and the rapidly growing “La France En Soumise.” La France En Soumise, founded in 2016, is widely viewed as a more progressive, populist alternative to the “old guard” Socialist Party, which lost much credibility after its dismal performance in the 2017 general election. 

The dispute over “minority-only meetings” threatens to deepen the divide between the old and new guards. Socialist politician Audrey Pulvar faced criticism after she commented that white people “can be asked to keep quiet” at meetings. Jean-Luc Melanchon, leader of “La France En Soumise,” defended Pulvar’s statements, saying that she is “clearly not a racist.” Contrarily, Anna Hidalgo, Paris Mayor and Socialist Presidential hopeful, strongly rebuked Pulvar, remarking in a televised interview that “the field of politics is not a therapy session, it’s the domain of the universal, where we seek unity and defend our secularist values.” Hidalgo’s stance mirrors French President Emmanuel Macron’s sentiments on identity and universalism, which remain overwhelmingly popular among the general population but less so with an increasingly progressive left-wing youth.

The chasm revealed on the left exposes the urgency that the French left must act with to unify around a social policy message if it wishes to avoid a repeat of its disastrous 2017 election performance. For example, heading into the 2022 presidential elections, the highest polling left-wing candidate, “La France Insoumise” leader, Jean Luc Melenchon, is splitting the vote with Socialist and Green Party candidates and polling at a mere 10 percent. Conversely, candidates such as incumbent Macron, and far-right leader Marine Le Pen, consistently poll at 25 percent.  

Additionally, Pulvar’s remarks have already been attacked by members of the right, who view highlighting leftists’ stances on identity issues as a political victory and wish to portray the left as a symbol of “woke culture” and a threat to French patriotism. The deputy leader of Marine Le Pen’s National Front commented that Pulvar’s remarks proved the “hatred of whites” on the left. This messaging, if successful, may pose another challenge to a fractured left, which needs to balance ideology with political strategy to defeat Macron and Le Pen, underscoring its uphill battle in the next year.