French protesters standing up to far right ahead of snap elections

Anti-racism groups were joining French unions and a brand-new left-wing coalition in protests in Paris and across France on Saturday against the surging nationalist far right as frenzied campaigning is underway ahead of snap parliamentary elections.

In Paris, those who fear that the elections will produce France's first far-right government since World War II will gather at Place de la Republique before marching through eastern Paris.

The French Interior Ministry said 21,000 police and gendarmes would be deployed at protests across the country, with authorities expecting between 300,000 and 500,000 protesters nationwide.

In the French Riviera city of Nice, protesters marched down Jean Mdecin Avenue, the city's main shopping street. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said she heard chants against the National Rally, its leader Jordan Bardella as well as against President Emmanuel Macron.

Protest organisers said 3,000 took part, while the police put the number at 2,500.

Nic