The demonstrations were sparked by what protesters called economic disruption and energy and health restrictions. Similar to many other EU cities, a massive crowd of protesters marched through the centre of Paris on Saturday demanding that France radically change its stance on NATO and the EU.
The march was organized by the right-wing Les Patriotes (The Patriots) party led by Florian Philippot, the former deputy head of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally. Dubbed the ‘national meeting of resistance,’ the rally attracted tens of thousands and thousands of people, according to Philippot, who was also a member of the European Parliament between 2014 and 2019.
The demonstrators were holding a large banner reading Resistance and smaller placards that read Frexit – a reference to a demand that France leaves the EU and NATO. Many protesters were also waving the national flag.
