More than 100,000 left-wing demonstrators rallied across
France on Saturday to protest against the nomination of the centre-right Michel
Barnier as prime minister and denounce President Emmanuel Macron's "power
grab".
The interior ministry said 110,000 people took to the
streets nationwide, including 26,000 in Paris, while one leading left-winger
put the turnout across France at 300,000.
Rallies took place in cities across France including Nantes
in the west, Nice and Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.
Macron on Thursday appointed Barnier, a 73-year-old former
foreign minister who acted as the European Union's Brexit negotiator, as prime
minister, seeking to move forward after snap elections in which his centrist
alliance came second.
Barnier said on Friday that he was open to naming ministers
of all political stripes, including "people from the left".
But a left-wing coalition, which emerged as France's largest
political bloc after the June-July elections, although short of an overall
majority, has denounced Macron's appointment of Barnier.
The alliance wanted Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist,
to become prime minister, but Macron quashed that idea, arguing that she would
not survive a confidence vote in the hung parliament.
On Saturday, many demonstrators directed their anger at
Macron, 46, and some called on him to resign.
Old elephant
"The Fifth Republic is collapsing," said
21-year-old protester Manon Bonijol, referring to France's current system of
government.
"Expressing one's vote will be useless as long as
Macron is in power," she added.
Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, whose France Unbowed
party (LFI) and allies belong to the left-wing bloc, had called for people to
take to the streets, arguing that the election had been "stolen from the
French". On Saturday, he urged supporters to prepare for battle. "There
will be no pause," he vowed.
"Democracy isn't just the art of accepting that you've
won, it's also the humility of accepting that you've lost," Melenchon said
at the Paris march.
Project manager Alexandra Germain, 44, accused Macron of
riding roughshod over the wishes of voters.
"Demonstrating is my only way of saying that I don't
agree, even if I am well aware that it is useless," said Germain.
Abel Couaillier, a 20-year-old student, said he was stunned
by the appointment of Barnier whom he called an "old elephant".
"I am still young, I want to believe that we can change
things," added Couaillier.
Leading LFI figure Mathilde Panot claimed on X, formerly
Twitter, that 160,000 demonstrators had protested in Paris and 300,000 people
across France.
Police said five people had been detained in Paris.
'Under surveillance'
Marine Le Pen, who leads far-right National Rally (RN)
lawmakers in parliament, has said her party will not be part of the new
cabinet, and that she will wait for Barnier's first policy speech in parliament
before deciding whether or not to back him.
"Barnier is a prime minister under surveillance,"
said RN party president Jordan Bardella on Saturday.
"I am under the surveillance of all French
people," said Barnier, on the sidelines of a visit to the Necker
children's hospital in Paris.
Barnier will be in charge of the budget, security,
immigration and healthcare.
He will have to take into account the interests of the
National Rally -- the single-largest party in a fragmented legislature -- if he
wants to avoid a motion of no-confidence in parliament.
Barnier -- who is likely to have only minority support in
the National Assembly -- faces the urgent task of presenting the 2025 budget by
early October.