EPA
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:59
A total of around 75,000 people have taken to the streets in various French cities in protest against President Macron’s new migration law, which they consider far too strict. About 16,000 activists showed up in the capital Paris, the Ministry of the Interior estimates. The left-wing union CGT, which co-organized the protests, estimates around 150,000 demonstrators across the country.
According to the activists, the president has leaned towards the extreme right in supporting the law, and is thus betraying French values. The demonstrations were organized by around 200 organizations, such as trade unions, cultural foundations and migrant advocacy groups.
The law, which has already been passed by parliament but has not yet been signed by Macron, should make it easier for the government to deport ‘unwanted’ foreigners from France. In addition, it is becoming more difficult for migrants to bring family members or partners to France, or to apply for social housing or benefits.
Competition Le Pen
Macron recently tightened the law under pressure from the right-wing party Les Republicains. It is generally assumed that he is trying to take the wind out of the sails of the right-wing radical party Rassemblement National (RN) in the run-up to the European elections in June. RN (formerly Front National) of party leader Marine Le Pen has been doing well in the polls for months.
Today’s street protests were organized in the run-up to a ruling by the Constitutional Council next Thursday. This must determine whether the law as a whole complies with the French Constitution. Remarkably, Macron himself has already said that he expects parts of the law to be discriminatory and constitutionally unacceptable.
2024-01-21 21:59:10
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