Around 1,200 people, according to the prefecture, marched peacefully this Saturday in Lyon “against the extreme right”, at the call of a collective supported in particular by deputies from France Insoumise, who came to express their rejection of “racism and anti-Semitism.
At the call of the collective “Let’s close the fascist premises”, supported by LFI, student unions and an anti-fascist group, the demonstrators marched in calm behind banners “No to the extreme right, its ideas, its violence”, but also signs in support of Palestine.
“We march against the extreme right, not alongside the extreme right”
In the crowd, which sang anti-fascist songs and chanted “Justice for Gaza”, there were three rebellious deputies, who justified the absence of their movement from the march against anti-Semitism planned for Sunday and in several cities in France, including Lyon, by the announced presence of the National Rally at the event.
“We are marching against the extreme right, not alongside the extreme right,” explained Thomas Portes, deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis, who came with his colleagues from the Paris region Carlos Martens Bilongo and Antoine Léaument.
“We are also here to demonstrate against racism and against anti-Semitism,” he added to put an end to any accusation of ambiguity.
A group dissolved by the Council of State in the procession
Raphaël Arnault, leader of the Young Guard, an anti-fascist organization present in several cities, denounced at the end of the demonstration those who “walk hand in hand” with “Petainists”.
Sympathizers of the Lyon and surroundings anti-fascist group (Gale), whose dissolution has just been validated by the Council of State, displayed a banner: “we do not dissolve a revolt that is brewing”.