On this theme, the group Les Motivés had begun to warm up the 25,000 militants, chilled by the cold, by singing in the introduction a reference to Zebda, an emblematic Toulouse group: "We don't agree with everything, but against fascism , there is no settlement.

In third position in the polls, around 15%, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has been hammering for several weeks the argument of "effective voting" to qualify the left in the second round.

He persevered on Sunday, on a stage placed just in front of the town hall: "Whatever you think of the Popular Union or of me, or of these stupid conversations about my character, the country is in a state of emergency".

To the most undecided, he offered a "compromise with the Common Future: what is in it that prevents you from living?"

In the public, Adrien Durant, a 32-year-old territorial civil servant, convinced to come by his colleague Bruno, rightly told AFP that he had gone to the convinced by the argument of the "effective" vote, after having hesitated to vote for the communist Fabien Roussel: "I'm going to block the far right and Macron. Mélenchon is the one who has the best chance of winning".

As for Jérôme Deloffre, 44, a civil servant in the Occitanie region and former "yellow vest", he still hesitates with the anti-capitalist Philippe Poutou: "There are things about Mélenchon that I appreciate, but sometimes he is too surly ".

Mélissa, 45, unemployed, for her part blew: "It's not won but I hope it will soar".

"If Marine Le Pen is 24 or 25%, we can do nothing. The left in total is only 25 ... On the other hand, 20%, we can get there", estimated an important executive of the campaign .

"On the right track"

To strengthen the mobilization of the "effective" vote, Jean-Luc Mélenchon mocked those ahead of him, in particular Emmanuel Macron, who held his only and big meeting on Saturday at the Arena de La Défense.

"He who wanted to give himself airs of the left, (...) how could he believe that we did not realize that he is making fun of people?" Asked Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

Triggering waves of disapproval in the crowd, the rebellious candidate spoke for several minutes of the record employment by the outgoing president, according to the Senate, of consulting firms.

And in particular McKinsey, suspected of tax evasion.

Emmanuel Macron "brought the private sector into the state, who can believe that a private company will give advice for the general interest?", was scandalized the Insoumis.

For the reform of the APL, the consulting expenses were "the equivalent of 17,000 of these aids", he denounced.

The former minister proposed the "principle of non-substitution: it will be impossible to entrust to the private sector what the State and its civil servants are capable of doing themselves".

Julien Baillon, a 26-year-old employee in the biotechnology sector, a red scarf around his neck, and who called himself an anarchist, assured that he was optimistic for the Insoumis: "We are on the right track, they are the only ones capable of provide solutions, such as the minimum wage at 1,400 euros, or on disability, ecological transition..."

He congratulated himself: "LFI decided to ignore what is happening on the left, the steeple wars, they were right, they are the only ones facing the right, the others on the left should ask themselves the question. question of withdrawing".

© 2022 AFP