Many young listeners at the last meeting of Poutou, in Bordeaux

• Philippe Poutou, NPA candidate for the presidential election, held his last meeting followed by a campaign party this Wednesday evening in Bordeaux.

• With his direct style, he won over the young people who came in large numbers to attend the event.

• He detailed the positioning of the NPA, which believes more in street struggles than in elections, with humor and pedagogy.

"We're here even if Macron doesn't want it, we're here", "Aaanticapitalist" briefly sing the activists just before the start of Philippe Poutou's last campaign meeting, this Wednesday evening.

Many young people in the audience came to listen to the leader of the NPA, presidential candidate for the third time, in the Son-Tay municipal hall in the Belcier district of Bordeaux.

Philippe Poutou appeared on stage to applause after a replay on a giant screen of the remarks "the police kill" that the candidate had made on October 13, 2021 on France Info. 

Many #young people at the last meeting of #PhilippePoutou this Wednesday in #Bordeaux #electionpresidentielle2022 pic.twitter.com/uGd4BfUcQ3

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His direct style appeals to young people

The day after his outburst against Zemmour, who was described as "fascist, racist", he explained to the press that it had nothing to do with "a search for style", it was just that he, " don't pretend".

And it is perhaps partly this very direct side that appeals to the youth, largely represented in the Son-Tay room.

"I really appreciate this outspokenness because it doesn't seem like he thinks he's superior, he's speaking in a way that we can all understand," comments Luce, 19, who will be voting for the first time on 10 April.

She and her friend, Aurane, students in social careers, find themselves in the causes he defends.

Auriane, 19, is more hesitant: “I have activist friends who help organize, so I came and I didn't regret it was interesting, it's the candidate who speaks to me the most.

But I still hesitate to perhaps vote useful, that is to say Mélenchon.

“And the former Ford worker knows it, the candidate of France Insoumise will “steal votes”, so he redoubled his pedagogy and humor for this last campaign meeting.

Nora, medical student and NPA activist, speaks from the podium, before the candidate: "The media wants us to believe that young people are abstainers but there are many of them in the NPA and it is not surprising when you consider the program reformist candidates.

»

Struggles rather than voting

"You know the magazine

, launches the NPA candidate to his audience.

It is a magazine that lifts morale because there are people who do well in times of crisis.

Laughter breaks out in the room.

And to quote the NGO Oxfam which reports that “the ultra-rich got much richer during the health crisis”.

He specifies: “We are talking about the ultra-rich, not the surgeon who earns a good living or the airplane pilot.

“He unrolls the idea of ​​​​redistribution of wealth with the proposal of a minimum wage of 1800 euros.

Where do we find the money?

By taking him where he is, from these “organized thieves”.

On the climate emergency, he evokes the successive failures of the COPs, even though the IPCC reports are increasingly alarming.

"Why can't they do it?"

he pretends to wonder.

Because we have to attack the multinationals and the race for profit.

The private sector does not give a damn about what happens to the planet, it is necessary to put in place public control of its big companies.

»

He says bluntly that he has no chance of winning the election but explains why he has a place in the campaign.

“We are not saying that we are the useful vote but we have a utility, he specifies.

We want to put back into the background the perspective of social struggles.

Without wasting time, NPA activists distributed leaflets at the end of the meeting, proposing a meeting in Bordeaux from April 13.

"We don't want to patch up the collapsing left, we want to discuss another left, radical, combative, internationalist, anti-militarist, feminist, anti-racist, he explains.

And the more we weigh, the more it can help to make our project credible, because it is our project.

More laughter in the audience.

The meeting ends with the revolutionary song

, before the group The Hyènes settles in to end the evening.

Many of the youngest then take the opportunity to smoke outside.

Not sure they know this band where the former drummer of Noir Désir plays.

“It's rock”, specifies Philippe Poutou, pedagogue until the end.

This time, for sure, was his last campaign.

Even if he had also said so in 2017, he will be 60 in five years and he considers, in complete coherence with the NPA program, that this is the age of retirement.

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• Elections

• Philippe Poutou

• Presidential election 2022

• Meeting

• Election campaign

• New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA)