The only progressive option with a chance to qualify for the runoff, the rebel left has pinned some of its hopes on the voters of these popular neighborhoods and cities. Mélenchon, who finished third in the polls with 18-16% of the vote and third behind Emmanuel Macron (28-26%) and Marine Le Pen (24-20%), clearly prevailed in Roubaix in 2017 with 35% of the vote. Now he hopes to do the same with a source. beneficial vote effectwhich would leave the other five leftist candidates with insignificant percentages. But it faces a major hurdle: abstention.
Rebel militants called out to the doors of the houses, “Good day, we have come to the elections”. “Thank you very much but I am not registered on the lists elections, I cannot vote,” a neighbor replied. A young man in his thirties, who lives with his parents, said, “The truth is I’m not very interested in politics, but I will read it.” These were some of the reactions these militants faced as they climbed the stairs of geometric, mid-rise apartment blocks placed in front of long rows. brick houses face view, heirs of architectural tradition settlements miners.
Deindustrialization and neoliberalism
roubaix, deindustrialization and neoliberalism Caused at the northern end of French territory. Factories are gone, and with them their business in a town Unemployment levels are around 30%, according to INSEE. Once one of the wealthiest cities in France in the early 20th century, it has grown into one of the poorest cities in the country, considered one of the European textile capitals due to its strong wool industry. This economic exclusion was accompanied by political exclusion. This is reflected in the decline Socialist Party (PS) – and the influential federation of the North – and the difficulties of other progressive formations to come to terms with these popular categories.
“Here we are, the French champions of abstention,” complained Ali Rahni, president of the Association for Unification and Dialogue and neighborhood activist. A good example of this is the re-election of the mayor in 2020. Guillaume Delbar (right), with just over 5,000 votes in a city of 100,000 inhabitants. In last year’s regional competitions 84% abstained from voters.
In the presidential elections, which are an excellent example of French political life, roubaisiens tends to vote more often. they did more than 62% in 2017. But in this year’s elections, in the shadow of the media war in ukraine, plan a particularly low bet risk. Polls predict a percentage of just over 70% – 71% in 2002, close to the record in the history of the Fifth Republic. But in recent days, there have been signs of mobilization among the electorate, which has contributed to the rise of the far-right Marine Le Pen and Mélenchon (eco-socialist), due to its greater dependence on both the youth and the popular segment. the electorate compared to the electorate. President Emmanuel Macron.
as in the USA
“What seems most important to me is that with the growing disparity in participation levels between the middle and upper classes and the modest classes, abstention by social class does not stop growing. We are approaching a situation similar to that in the United States. States,” he explains at the University of Picardie (north). Professor and abstinence expert Patrick Lehingue. among the inhabitants suburbLike Roubaix, “master of a feeling disappointment in politicsfrom constant betrayal. They feel that they are not taken into account in public decisions and that politics does not solve their day-to-day problems,” says Julien Talpin, CNRS researcher and sociologist at Roubaix, where he lives.
Faiza, 27, a nursing student, shares the same feeling of insecurity. “Politicians do the same thing all the time. They promise us a lot, but then they don’t keep their word,” says this young woman, who went to pick up a package last Tuesday afternoon. food aid At Secours Populaire, a historical solidarity association. The parade of dozens and dozens of people across its buildings reflects the ravages of instability in Roubaix, where nearly 40% of its residents live below the poverty line. “Before the pandemic we were distributing 300 lots each year, now we are distributing 150 lots a day,” explains Nora Chiheb, deputy director of Secours Populaire in the northern city.
One of Macron’s main campaign arguments is the alleged France’s economic situation is good. The neighboring country’s GDP grew 7% last year (down 8% in 2020) and unemployment fell to 7.4%. But poor people are little aware of this economic boom. “Macron hasn’t done much for workers or to deal with rising prices,” says Yasmina, 48, a health worker. He voted for the centrist leader in the runoff in 2017, but would not do so again if the now duel with Le Pen was repeated.
“Minimum age setting fact retirement at 65 (with 42 or 43 years of contributions) doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. I know a lot of people at this age who are exhausted,” says Clément, 28, a construction worker who is torn between voting for Le Pen or Mélenchon. workers’ party not far right, but abstention. In multicultural towns like Roubaix – over 30% of residents are foreigners and there is a significant French community of North African descent – the favorite candidate among the voters is Mélenchon in neighboring Wattrelos, where there are more white workers. , Le Pen wins.
Zemmour’s favorite target
“insults Eric Zemmour They asked me to vote more. It’s not for me because I’m white, it’s for my North African friends,” says 20-year-old Maxime, who wears a black hoodie and lives thanks to the Youth Guarantee of around 500 euros a month. The speech of the Islamophobic far-right polemicist at Roubaix in recent months was nauseating, in fact, he described the city as “less than two hours from Afghanistan to Paris.”
This exaggerated mix of being the hotbed of radical Islamism was highlighted after a documentary on the chain was released in January. M6. This sensational report faceless babies With doses of spreading a conservative vision of the Muslim religion by an association that received subsidies from the City Council, in one of the shops and Arabic courses in the center of town. After the broadcast, the journalists who made the program received death threats.
mistake Curator Valerie Pécressemade an open visit at the end of March to the front of the controversial store on a central street near the magnificent Roubaix City Hall, a remnant of its rich industrial past, depressed by polls. Candles, pots, glasses and Quran books are also sold there, but the Republican candidate (PP partners in France) accused it of being an “Islamic bookstore”.
“This whole story has caused us a lot of pain. We got insults and my wife death threats Saida, 27, who owns a fashion store located near the controversial one, complains, both by text message and by phone. Mélenchon,” he reassures. After months of downplaying Zemmour’s Islamophobic rhetoric and Le Pen in a more sibylline way, the rebel left is confident of the US boomerang effect. suburb. But it is not clear whether he will succeed. First of all it will depend on abstention.