French presidential candidate Mélenchon says at a conference LFI is ‘10,000%’ behind youth protests but insists on nonviolent action

French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said La France Insoumise fully supports France’s student-led protest movement but urged demonstrators to use nonviolent methods, arguing that violence would shrink rather than broaden participation.

Mélenchon made the remarks Tuesday evening, October 20, during a “conference on the political moment” streamed on his official channels before supporters, following days of nationwide unrest that grew out of high school protests and wider anger over living costs.

“We will not apologize for trying to convince young people,” Mélenchon said. He said LFI was “10,000% in solidarity” with the movement while rejecting the burning of town halls and other destruction. “Nonviolent methods are the ones that allow us to bring people together,” he said.

Mélenchon linked the unrest to unemployment, poverty, high fuel and electricity costs and pressure on households that he said were delaying heating or skipping meals. He argued that France’s history made revolutionary protest part of its political culture, saying the idea of revolution was not unimaginable in a country that had experienced revolutions before.

He also accused the government and media of focusing on burning buildings rather than peaceful demonstrations and criticized policing of the protests, while saying different groups should take responsibility for their own tactics.

Turning to foreign policy, Mélenchon said Iran had been “illegitimately attacked” regardless of views of its government and opposed France becoming more deeply involved militarily in the Gulf. He accused President Emmanuel Macron of discussing military deployments and defense cooperation during his Gulf tour, not only fuel supplies.

Mélenchon also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to influence French elections in cities including Marseille, Toulouse, Roubaix and Paris, referencing previous allegations of foreign interference in French municipal races.