30 May 2014

Protests against French far-right

9:04 am on 30 May 2014

Thousands of students have demonstrated in France against the far-right National Front (FN) party, following its success in the European elections.

About 4,000 students rallied in Paris, while smaller marches took place in Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and outside the European parliament in Strasbourg.

The National Front came first in last week's elections, winning 25% of the French vote and 24 MEP seats.

A demonstration against the French far-right party Front National.

A demonstration against the French far-right party Front National. Photo: AFP

The party is opposed to mass immigration, free trade and the euro.

In Paris, students shouted anti-right wing slogans and waved banners reading "No to the National Front", the BBC reports.

However, correspondents say the turnout is small compared with previous protests against the FN.

Following her National Front party's victory, leader Marine Le Pen said voters had demanded "only one type of politics - a politics of the French, for the French and with the French".

She added that her party would put pressure on French President Francois Hollande and fight "crazy measures like votes for immigrants".

Ms Le Pen is credited with detoxifying the image of the FN, which was previously seen as the pariah of French politics.

The party's last, but lesser, breakthrough was in 2002, when Marine Le Pen's father Jean-Marie Le Pen came second in the presidential election.