“The government immediately singled out France Unbowed as the devil incarnate. That was a mistake on their part,” he wrote. “It earned us a significant surge in popularity in high schools, where we were already well-received.”
A Cluster17 poll shared exclusively with POLITICO before the unrest began last month showed that 47% of respondents younger than 35 planned to vote for Mélenchon. POLITICO’s Poll of Polls aggregator currently shows him with a narrow lead over centrist candidates in the race to finish second and advance to the presidential runoff, where he would likely face off against far-right front-runner Marine Le Pen.
Tuesday’s demonstrations could be an important litmus test of how far Mélenchon can turn an autumn of discontent to his advantage.
“[Several organizations] have rallied behind the high schoolers and their union. This is absolutely unprecedented. And it’s undoubtedly an indication of a massive protest ahead, one that paves the way for others to follow,” said Paul Vannier, an MP and high-ranking Mélenchon deputy.
Yet Mélenchon remains a divisive figure. Seventy-three percent of voters said there was little to no chance they would ever vote for him, according to the Cluster17 poll shared exclusively with POLITICO, compared with 62% for Le Pen.
His goal for now is to consolidate his base and make the runoff, and younger voters are a key part of that effort, but images of high schools ablaze and clashes between police and protesters threaten to hurt his standing with the wider electorate. A poll last week found that most respondents agreed the demonstrations were justified but disagreed with France Unbowed’s strategy.