Several hundred people took part in a protest in Paris, calling for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron and France’s withdrawal from the European Union. The march began in the Louvre area and passed through the central streets of the French capital, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene.
The chants included “Down with Macron!”, “Let’s leave NATO!”, “No more money, drones or shells for Ukraine!” and “Frexit!”. The participants insisted that the funds allocated to support Kyiv should instead be directed towards solving problems in France.
The protesters expressed dissatisfaction with rising fuel and food prices, as well as inflation. According to them, the difficult economic situation is linked not only to the actions of the government and the president, but also to the policies of the European Union.
Philippot tears up EU flag
During the demonstration, Patriots party leader Florian Philippot tore up a European Union flag with the help of one of his aides.
“We have gathered here because we want to save our country, France. And here we have a symbol of subjugation – a blue rag with stars, which we will get rid of right now,” Philippot said.He and his supporters also spoke out against the possible deployment of French troops to Ukraine. Slogans against Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were heard during the march.
The Patriots party had previously announced the event as a national march with two main demands – Macron’s resignation and “Frexit”. The Paris city authorities reported a gathering at Place du Palais-Royal, followed by a march through the central part of the city.
Sources: tass.com, mairie07.paris.fr