Following a period of upheaval in France, strained by the Gaza war, the streets of the neighboring country filled again this Sunday as tens of thousands gathered in protest. Demonstrators voiced opposition to immigration policies backed by President Emmanuel Macron, a plan approved on December 19 with strong support from far-right lawmakers.
The protests were organized after a manifesto appeared in progressive newspapers, a document signed by two hundred people and endorsed by political and union leaders, as well as actors and writers. Prominent figures who joined the demonstration included Marina Foïs, Laurent Binet, and Lydie Salvayre. The action took place just days before the Constitutional Council was set to rule on the contested legislation.
Speakers condemned elements of the text that touch social assistance and, in particular, the notion of national preference, a principle long championed by the far right. Jacques Toubon, a former conservative minister and ombudsman, stood among the attendees in Paris where the crowd numbered about twenty-five thousand people.
In Paris, the march took place in a festive mood near the Eiffel Tower, while solidarity actions spread to roughly 150 other locations. Organizers reported around 150,000 participants; the Ministry of the Interior put the figure at about 75,000. The demonstrations called for the withdrawal of the law commonly referred to as the Darmanin law, named after the interior minister who oversaw the measure.
Before the constitutional decision
The Darmanin law was drafted to accelerate deportations of irregular migrants and to address cases where foreigners with serious offenses are involved. It stands as one of the strictest immigration measures enacted in recent French memory. The text emerged from negotiations between Macron’s party and segments of the Republican right, framed by tough stances on immigration. It tightened eligibility for social benefits, reintroduced penalties for irregular stays, and extended citizenship-related penalties in cases involving violence against police officers. Some provisions even set conditions that would affect non-EU students seeking assistance.
Across France, the movement drew between one hundred fifty thousand and one hundred fifty thousand participants, depending on the source, all rallying against the stringency of the immigration policy approved in December with government backing. A video documenting the Paris march circulated widely, illustrating the scale of the event.
Following approval by both chambers, the prime minister indicated that some measures might face constitutional scrutiny. The national body with authority over constitutional questions was expected to rule on the law later in the week. Critics argued that it should not be the court that rewrites the text, noting that legislators should anticipate constitutional constraints rather than rely on the court to salvage the measure. A student involved in refugee and housing initiatives voiced concern about potential changes, while an editor cited the possibility that broad revisions could alter the law’s intent if the court intervened too extensively.
Even as Sunday’s demonstrations concluded, they underscored a broad segment of French society opposed to the law and skeptical of its practical effects. The protest movement suggested that a sizable portion of the public remains wary of stringent immigration controls and the conditions attached to social benefits for non-citizens. Yet it also reflected a political landscape deeply divided, with the far right garnering substantial backing for its hardline approach and many in the center and left questioning whether constitutional safeguards and humane considerations could be maintained within a tightened framework.