'We've become a country of racists': Paris rallies against French far-right

Thousands have gathered in Paris at the call of numerous media, trade unions and associations to call for a vote against the far-right in the second round of France's legislative elections, with minority Muslims, like many others, feeling uneasy about the rise of the far-right.

"I have the impression that we've really become a country of racists, and that saddens me a lot because we were France after all," Valere Pique, a 31-year-old web developer in the civil service, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday.

"There's a lot of imagination abroad about what France is, and I get the impression that we're really closing in on ourselves, and it really saddens me to see that, in fact."

Another protester at the site said, "Given the divide between the countryside and the cities, I don't even see how France can be reconciled at the moment. So, it scares me to see the outbursts of violence and the fact that it's become commonplace to say things that are racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, Islamophobic, or whatever. I find this trivialisation of violence very frightening."

France's embattled prime minister has urged voters to form a united front to block the far-right in legislative elections, warning that the anti-immigration party of Marine Le Pen was within reach of winning an absolute majority.

"There is one bloc that is able to have an absolute majority, and it's the extreme right," Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told France Inter radio.

"On Sunday evening, what's at stake in the second round is to do everything so that the extreme right do es not have an absolute majority," he said.

"It's not nice for many French to have to block (the National Rally)... by casting a vote they did not want to," he added, but "it's our responsibility to do this."

Muslims terrified, others see return of fascism

With the RN and its allies collecting more than 33 percent of the vote, Muslims in the country are also worried about the establishment of a far-right government.

The far-right has long advocated for bans on Muslim headscarves in public spaces and the slaughter of animals for meat according to halal (permitted) methods.

Representatives of the Muslim community have expressed concern about their freedom of worship being restricted and being treated as "second-class" citizens.

A conference titled "For the Republic, For France" was recently held at the Great Mosque of Paris to address the rise of the far-right ahead of the second round of elections.

It was attended by Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the Imam of the mosque, Kamel Kabtane, the Imam of the Great Mosque of Lyon, and Azzedine Taibi, the mayor of Stains, along with representatives of civil society organisations.

Hafiz called on all citizens, regardless of their beliefs, to vote in the second round on July 7.

"In these decisive days for the future of France, we stand firmly against the project, ideology and roots of the National Rally party," he said.

Hafiz said the parents of Muslim citizens contributed to the construction of France. "We are not engaging in politics; we are standing against a danger that concerns all of us."

Back in Paris, one protester cited dangers of fascism with the rise of extremist parties in the European country.

"As we often say in our union organisations, young people, their culture and their history are weak. Already, at school, we don't learn history the way we should. We 'squeeze', if you like, we make very important impasses. My son doesn't know. Fascism means nothing to him. For him, the RN is a party like any other, whereas for us old-timers, it's a danger," said Roger Daniel, retired lawyer and member of the CGT child welfare union in Paris.

"It's a danger to democracy, to freedoms, to immigration. No, what we're going through today is really very dangerous."