Hundreds of undocumented migrants marched through the streets of Paris on Saturday to protest against the possible creation of a ministry of immigration, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint Michel Barnier as France’s new prime minister.
Protester walked with flags and banners while dancing, chanting and playing drums.
“We don’t want a Ministry of Immigration. On the contrary, immigration should be part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That’s not a problem for the interior; it’s a problem for foreign affairs. Macron forgot; he appointed someone who, in 2022, talked about a referendum on immigration. So there is a discourse even more to the right than the Rassemblement National (National Rally),” said one of the protesters.
According to local media reports, Barnier has recently discussed with his staff the possibility of creating a ministry of immigration to tackle the challenging situation regarding migration in France.
Barnier, whose Les Republicains party won less than seven per cent of the vote, was named PM by Macron after July’s elections left no party in control of the National Assembly. The conservative politician’s appointment triggered anger from the liberal New Popular Front (NFP) alliance. One of its leaders, Jean-Luc Melenchon, claimed the election had been ‘stolen’ from the French, while others described the move as a ‘coup’ and a ‘denial of democracy’.
The NFP came first in July’s snap elections, although it did not achieve a majority. However, Macron refused to approve the NFP’s choice of PM, Lucie Castets, claiming she would not survive an immediate vote of no confidence.
At 73 years old, Barnier became France’s oldest-ever prime minister when he was appointed on September, 5. According to media reports, he will potentially need support from Macron’s faction and the right-wing National Rally group to stay in power.
Macron called the snap legislative vote following huge losses for his Renaissance party in the EU Parliament elections on June 6-9, which saw a massive surge in support for the anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party.
France’s election was held over two rounds, on June 30 and July 7. Macron has not held a majority in parliament since 2022 and has used executive powers to pass legislation like his pension reforms, which triggered widespread protests.