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00:00Before we go live to downtown Paris, where the new alliance of left-wing parties here
00:05in France ahead of legislative elections later this month, the Popular Front is unveiling
00:10its manifesto.
00:11Let's listen in.
00:12We're ready to meet our historical responsibilities.
00:18And now I'd like to give the floor to the officials responsible for the major political
00:25movements in this union.
00:32After these various speeches, I would like to state that there will be an official photograph
00:41in the gardens of the House of Chemistry.
00:46However, there won't be questions from the room because we don't have time for that.
00:52But right after we take the photograph, you will be able to bring your mics and ask your
00:58questions.
01:00Let me give over to Manuel Bompard for La France Insoumise.
01:09Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
01:11Welcome.
01:12I think we all share the huge hope that this decision has created in the country and the
01:21high level of responsibility that we feel in an extraordinary political situation that
01:26is heavy, pregnant with dangers, with the threat of seeing the far-right coming to
01:31power with its racist and antisocial project.
01:37This situation forces us, and we are deeply aware of that, to do something.
01:44This is why this new Popular Front is not just the union of political formations, but
01:51a novel type of alliance that brings together many political movements as well as associations,
02:00collectives, supported by people from the trade union, culture, arts, intellectuals,
02:11as we have seen in the media this week.
02:17As you know, yesterday night, we signed an agreement with single nominations for the
02:27first round of the elections, as well as a covenant or pact containing around 150 measures
02:45that will have to be implemented.
02:47They are a disruptive platform for the first 100 days, the first 150 days, et cetera.
02:55It is disruptive.
02:56It is a total break from Macron's policies in order to meet the people's immediate needs
03:04and take the ecological turn that we need to take.
03:09As soon as we get to power, we will block prices on essential food products and energy
03:16in order to instantly give back purchasing power to the French people.
03:22We will also act immediately in order to restore the path to peace for France on the international
03:31stage by supporting Ukraine in the war of aggression waged by Vladimir Putin and by
03:36finding ways to get an immediate ceasefire in the face of the ongoing massacre in Gaza.
03:47Those are two of our main priorities, and they're part of the 150 measures that we're
03:52going to be defending in this electoral campaign.
03:54We'll do that with the United Front and supported by great sense of hope in the country that
04:01we're seeing all around in France, and will be expressed this Saturday with the demonstrations
04:07being called by the InterSyndical and by the French youth.
04:13Ladies and gentlemen, we can change everything, and the French people want us to decide to
04:19do that.
04:20That's why we invite the leaders and the actors from all organizations, and particularly
04:25those that share those objectives, so that they participate in this campaign so that
04:30on the 30th of June and 7th of July, we open a new chapter in French history.
04:36Thank you.
04:37Let me now give over to Marine Tendelier for the Ecologist Party.
04:53We are ready, and I feel emotion in saying that, looking at you, crossing the eyes of
05:06all those present in the room, whether you're journalists or not.
05:12You know that we are ready.
05:13We're going to do something novel and great for our country.
05:17We are, and we will be able to do something about this institutional, political, social
05:24and economic crisis that we've seen in the past few years, but which has taken a deeply
05:30disturbing turn this week, as you know.
05:34We will campaign with the same determination that we felt over the past four days.
05:38We have had four days of discussions.
05:41We decided to work together.
05:43We decided on a disruptive program.
05:47We decided the best possible nominations on all constituencies in this country to win
05:53maximum number of parliamentarians so that we can run the country effectively.
06:05We will campaign with great determination, and then we will govern this country.
06:10We will govern this country in order to change people's lives and really change it.
06:16The far right is close to coming to power.
06:20Emmanuel Macron, as president, has a large share of responsibility, and we're going to
06:27take our responsibility.
06:28I come from Énimbaumont, Parliament.
06:32I'm an elected official from Énimbaumont, and so for many years I've been living in
06:38this town that has been governed by the Front National.
06:43I know their methods, their ideas all too well, in fact, and I've learned a lot in Énimbaumont.
06:51And I'll give you three little pieces of advice.
06:53First of all, never look down, never look down, never bow your head and never feel despondent.
07:06That's why over the past four days we haven't had much sleep.
07:11That's why you can say we look a little bit tired.
07:14We're very happy, but we are a little tired.
07:17The objective is very easy.
07:21Emmanuel Macron will not have a majority.
07:24You know it's a fact.
07:27He made a wager and he's already lost it.
07:29So it's either the far right or us, very simply put, and it's got to be us, and it's going
07:35to be us.
07:36It's going to be us because, you know, I've seen it over the past four years.
07:40I can tell that we're getting there.
07:43And I'm saying that as the head of the ecologies in my movement, but I'm sure it's also true
07:47of your movement.
07:50Our activists are very proud of what we're doing.
07:53They wanted this from us.
07:55They wanted to believe in it.
07:56Now they're seeing it and they're waiting for the rest to happen.
08:01This is very moving because writing history, we're giving the best of ourselves individually
08:04and together collectively.
08:07Now we've been asked to choose two measures.
08:11And I wanted to mention one that is going to be very important to everyone, repealing
08:18the pensions reform, which we will do immediately after our victory on the 7th of July.
08:25I would like to say that to all of those who looked at this debate, who took part in this
08:33debate and discussion and fight.
08:35We had said that we would never give up the five, didn't we?
08:40And there we are.
08:42So they thought they'd won, but we're getting to power and we will repeal this unjust pensions
08:49reform.
08:50There are many Emmanuel Macron reforms that we would need to repeal, by the way.
08:57That's one thing we'll do.
08:58But we're also thinking of measures that are very concrete, that will help people in their
09:03daily lives.
09:06And there's one such measure that we talked about at length, which is making sure that
09:11school is really free.
09:12I'm sure there are many parents and grandparents and people with nieces and nephews in this
09:18room who know that children are our future and the most precious thing in our society.
09:24And we owe them this free school, really free.
09:28The cafeteria, everything, transport to school, etc.
09:34And so in the back to school period 2024, back to school period, we promise that it
09:42will be implemented.
09:45What we have done is that we've rekindled the flame, not the flame of the Rassemblement
09:50National, which we're going to smother, but we have rekindled the flame of the hope that
09:56people on the left and ecologists were entitled to.
09:59And now we need to revive and grow this flame.
10:04We will do it.
10:05We will be a united front, a popular front.
10:08And the popular front is not just political parties.
10:11It is the political parties, but it's associations, trade unions, civil society, everyone here.
10:18And it should be something that goes well beyond us.
10:21And this is what is going to help us live better and longer.
10:27Thank you.
10:28All right, thank you.
10:36Let me give over to Olivier Folles for the Socialist Party.
10:40Ladies and gentlemen, it is emotional for me to stand here before you, just as it was
10:52emotional for all those and is emotional for all those who together founded this new popular
10:58front.
10:59Emmanuel Macron, after his defeat in the elections, decided on a very risky move at a time when
11:06the Rassemblement National is at its highest level in the post, which would mean that for
11:12the first time since Vichy, the far right would hold power in this country.
11:16Over the past days, we have seen people in France being afraid for their safety and security.
11:23I'm not saying they're going to open concentration camps.
11:26No, but they're looking at what is happening with Orban and Meloni's Italy.
11:33They're seeing minimum wage being cancelled or measures being cancelled.
11:44They see the world of culture being hurt.
11:47They feel all this and they want us to protect them from all this.
11:51Now, the only ones who can protect us are the left.
11:55The left and the ecologists, because the centre-right has just collapsed, with some of them going
12:01to collaborate with Rassemblement National, while others have led to the situation where
12:16we are with Rassemblement National.
12:17And so the solution that's asked with this new popular front, but it won't be enough.
12:22We need to make sure that all of society is involved, and that means making sure that
12:27we do something that the President of the Republic has refused to do over the past seven
12:32years, never despise workers and their representatives, making sure that after those technocratic
12:49governments, we can make sure that the representatives of the workers can actually enter government,
12:58making sure that the movement that we're creating shall be a new way of looking at
13:03politics, and an answer to all of the movements that we've seen over the past years, the Gilets
13:11Jaunes, all those who combated the pensions reform, to all of those who are saying, we're
13:17going to stand by you and build our new France together.
13:20And I've been asked to talk about two measures.
13:22So here are my two measures.
13:24The first one is that even though the government had been told that the social violence that
13:32they have promoted could not continue, could not possibly continue, decided to do what
13:41it did, and made the decision of carrying out a further reform of the unemployment benefits.
13:53One of the first measures that we will take as a result will be to repeal these unemployment
14:03benefits reforms, to protect everyone, especially young people who will be the future victims
14:13of this.
14:14The second measure is about social justice, because justice is really what brings us all
14:21together on this podium.
14:24And so we will make sure that we finance all of these very ambitious platforms by taking
14:31the money from the pockets of those who have the means to give it.
14:36Recently, President Macron talked about civic rearming.
14:41Well, we're calling for the same thing, civic rearming, making sure that all of those who've
14:46always profited from all the crises to help the country, help public services, the ecological
14:53transition and those who have less.
14:57That's what we will demand from them by taxing windfall profits, by making sure that the
15:04wealth tax is re-established and making sure that the flat tax is abolished and the exit
15:09tax re-established.
15:10Now, on behalf of the socialists, let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that we're very
15:16proud to be standing with all of the left and the ecologies.
15:20We've often heard people say that we could not possibly reconcile our ideas, and we are
15:27now proving that when the essential is at stake, we are always there.
15:33We're always there.
15:35Thank you.
15:37Let me give the floor to Fabien Roussel for the Communist Party.
15:44Yes, this is a historic day.
15:51And this is the oath that we're taking before all of the French people.
15:57This is a covenant that we are signing with everyone, with the whole country, because
16:04the whole country, as we know, is looking at us today, here in the continental France
16:09as well as in overseas territories.
16:12Our citizens want us, need us to be responsible in the face of the situation of the grave
16:19crisis we're living.
16:21And so here, we and I, I'm taking this oath to remain united so as to change life, to
16:29meet this huge expectation for change that we have seen from our citizens for more justice,
16:40more respect, more fraternity.
16:42And let me welcome the spirit of responsibility of each and every one of us present here,
16:46of each and every political organization, socialist, ecologist, communist, insoumis,
16:56la France insoumise.
16:58And beyond the platform, we have all made steps to converge towards one another.
17:05And we have succeeded in putting together a real program for France that will protect
17:12you first and foremost, that will make it possible to build a more cohesive society,
17:18whether it's in the countryside or in the large cities of this country.
17:23The first measures that we want to implement are measures that will bolster the purchasing
17:30power of French people.
17:31It's the covenant on purchasing power that took us no time to agree on, because there's
17:37no ambiguity on this.
17:39We will bring the minimum wage to 1,600 euros net and 2,000 gross, which is another important
17:55figure.
17:56We will raise the index point of civil servants by 10 points.
18:09We will raise the minimum pensions to fight against the injustice that senior citizens
18:19in this country are experiencing.
18:22We will block the prices of essential products and the prices of gas and electricity.
18:30This covenant is also one for a secular and social republic.
18:35Everything has been done in the past few years to pit our citizens against one another.
18:40And what we want is concord, peace, a secular and social republic, where the state is guaranteeing
18:49equality, justice.
18:51There's no justice without equality, no equality without justice, yes.
18:55The fight against racism and anti-Semitism will also be at the heart of our project anti-Semitism
19:01that we are seeing a dangerous rise of in this country, where it has such a peculiar history.
19:09We don't want to be afraid for the future.
19:16We no longer want that, and we want to replace that fear by hope.
19:23And for that, we need courage and a strong platform with strong ideas that is a clean
19:34break from Emmanuel Macron's policies that hurt us so badly.
19:42And we need everyone to be mobilized.
19:43There won't be any large-scale transformation without each and everyone being involved and
19:50participating.
19:51On the 30th of June and then on July 7th, each vote will count to make the difference,
19:58to make sure that France wins out, that a republic wins out, that social progress, social
20:03justice, peace, and human fraternity win out.
20:07Thank you very much, and we count on you.
20:10I have three more speakers.
20:19This here from Aurore Laluf, Place Publique.
20:27Good afternoon, everyone.
20:32It is my privilege to speak right after you did.
20:36We did it because we had to do it.
20:39I'm an economist, and I've always fought against the idea that there was no alternative.
20:47But in this case, there's no alternative.
20:49The only alternative – I was going to say the 9th of June because of the EU elections,
20:56but you know what the date is.
20:58The only alternative is us.
21:00You can't vote for the Rassemblement National.
21:03I'd like to thank all of the negotiators, because, yes, it's true, originally the
21:07platforms were quite far from one another in some cases.
21:11I'm thinking of Maurice Vallaud, who's not here today, who was one of the architects
21:15of this platform, and Roland, the negotiators of the Communist Party, thinking of Yannick
21:20Jadot.
21:22We all worked together to ensure that we would have extremely clear – what did I say?
21:31No, no, I meant the communists and Yannick Jadot.
21:38It's already the popular front.
21:40I've merged movements.
21:42Did I say that?
21:43Oh, I'm sorry.
21:44Okay.
21:45All right.
21:46So, we came in with very clear lines, which were the question of Ukraine, or the issue
21:55of how to characterize the terrorist massacres committed by Hamas.
22:00Also, we had very clear lines in terms of the question raised by Fabien on the issue
22:07of anti-Semitism.
22:09And I think we all made major steps, incredible steps, in record time.
22:15Usually, I mean, I always talk about tax issues, and I haven't had time to prepare my speech.
22:24And Olivier Fausse stole the part that I wanted to say about taxes, that's so typical of
22:30socialists.
22:31But, however that may be, I think we can be proud of the good work that we've done.
22:37These have been very long days, but at the same time, they've been very instructive
22:43days.
22:44And I remember some conversations, for example, with Manuel Bompard, just yesterday, just,
22:52you know, yesterday night.
22:54And really, there's no alternative against the Front National.
22:57It's us, us, and us.
22:58It's just us.
23:01Thank you.
23:02Marine Tendelier, unfortunately, couldn't stay, and she promised us about that.
23:08But we have two more speakers, and I'd like to add this.
23:13The Popular Front is not just the forces here.
23:16It's all the forces in this country that are, you know, resisting.
23:22Many of us come from activism, as I do, and many others here.
23:26And so the new Popular Front is also made up of associations, trade unions, people working
23:32in the suburbs or in the world of culture.
23:36For us, it's very important for this new Popular Front to be as broad as this.
23:41In fact, many of these elected officials and many of these militants and activists, trade
23:47unions, associations, have said that they would actually get involved in this campaign.
23:55And so Abdel Abtouaz Gour, someone I'd like to welcome, of the Alstom factory in Saint-Saint-Denis,
24:05a factory that has just been closed up, that's just been closed up by Celantis a few days
24:12ago.
24:13Thank you, Abdel.
24:17Good afternoon, everyone.
24:22I'm very moved to be taking the floor in front of you today.
24:25I'd like to thank the Popular Front for giving me this platform.
24:30I wanted to tell you about my factory and about the automotive sector, and the fact
24:43that 400 people have been laid off brutally with a system that makes us poor, makes us
24:54fragile.
24:55But I do understand that the challenge is much broader.
24:58We're writing history.
25:00On the day that the dissolution was announced, just like you, I felt pangs of fear.
25:09But I think what you did was right.
25:12Your response was the right one.
25:14You reacted very promptly by creating this Popular Front.
25:20And I want to say on behalf of the industrial sector that we support you, and we want to
25:25stand by your side benevolently as advisors, as a token of this newly found unity.
25:40But be careful.
25:41This is a huge task.
25:42The country is deeply hurt.
25:45There's much to do in terms of social justice, helping workers, repealing the laws that hurt
25:53workers, and making France once more into what it is famous for being one, the country
26:01of freedom, liberty, and equality.
26:04So we count on you.
26:05Thank you.
26:07And thank you.
26:15Abdelhaid Ouasbourg was a CGT unionized worker of Emma-France.
26:26And now let me give over to an ecologist, Sir Julliard, the director of Greenpeace.
26:34Good afternoon, everyone.
26:36A little context by my presence here.
26:39France is one of the countries that warms up at the most rapid rate.
26:43We're seeing it with the heatwaves and the deadly floods that we're seeing year after
26:49year.
26:50Experts are unanimous.
26:52We're not doing enough in France or elsewhere to reduce GHG gases and emissions.
27:01Our plans are not ambitious enough.
27:03For us, having Bardella as a prime minister is just the worst possible scenario.
27:08It's the worst for fighting climate change and for fighting for biodiversity.
27:14It is the promise that our oceans will be impoverished, that pollution will go up.
27:23Clearly, the Rassemblement National are almost climate skeptic.
27:32They do everything to fight the ecological progress for our countries in Europe and elsewhere.
27:42They're just fighting every law that could make things better.
27:46For example, pushing hybrid and electric vehicles.
27:50The Rassemblement National is doing the exact opposite.
27:54Through its values, through its vision of the world, the Rassemblement National is a
27:59threat for all associations like Greenpeace and others that are whistleblowers.
28:05And so our freedom as whistleblowers and as an association would be threatened.
28:13There would be repression, clearly, in case the far right came to power.
28:21We've also worked with or against Emmanuel Macron for the past seven years.
28:29We in fact made sure that he was convicted, condemned for his lack of action on ecology
28:37and fighting climate change.
28:41And clearly, when we looked at the platform of the new Popular Front, we realized that
28:46there was a whole slew of ambitious reforms that were being proposed that would go in
28:56the right direction.
28:57I'm not a politician.
28:59I work in an association that fights to change public policy.
29:05And my presence here, of course, is to show support.
29:09But it's not a blank check in that I think many associations share this point of view
29:14today.
29:15We will be there.
29:16But once you've been elected, because you will be elected, we will also be there to
29:23hold you accountable and make sure that all the announcements that we're seeing as part
29:30of your platform are actually being implemented.
29:33That's essential.
29:34It's one of our roads.
29:35And I think many associations that could have or would have wanted to be here today think
29:39the same.
29:41Together, we need to build an equitable, desirable, sustainable future for everyone.
29:48The opposite of the kind of world where people isolate from one another.
30:02Greenpeace has been very active in biodiversity and on all these fronts.
30:10We're seeing that reflected in your program, and so we'll be standing by you in the next
30:14few weeks.