Presidential 2022. Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants a “show of force” for his meeting in Toulouse
By Guillaume Laurent
Published on
They dream of a human tide. A few days before the first roundJean-Luc Melenchon and his supporters want to strike a blow in the Pink City for the third candidacy of the boss of France Insoumise to the presidential election.
The “last big meeting” of the campaign
A week after another big meeting at the Prado, in Marseille, on March 27, the leader of People’s Unionwhich has the wind in its sails in the polls and sees the doors of the second round half open, will indeed hold its all “last big campaign meeting” in the Pink City, indicates its staff to Toulouse news. If the international context leaves uncertainties on the event, except earthquake, the organizers ticked “preferably” the date of the Sunday, April 3, 2022 for this meeting in Toulouse. Seven days from the first round. But “it could also be held on Saturday 2, if we have to change the date to have the right place”, blows the Toulousain Manuel Bompard, campaign manager son.
A meeting “as massive as possible”
As in 2012 at the Capitole, or in 2017 at the Prairie des Filtres, it will be a outdoor meeting, “as massive as possible”, continues the right arm of the candidate. His supporters in Toulouse want to make it a “show of force”. And to mark the spirits, the staff of France Insoumise hopes to provide the perspective of a dense crowd in the fourth city of France.
Manuel Bompard announced that he already had the color on January 5: “The objective is to have an initiative the most spectacular a massive event”, as in the last two editions.
The Stadium and Ernest-Wallon targeted… in vain?
Where will the meeting be held? If Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s team did ask the municipality for authorization to occupy the public domain for the weekend of April 2 and 3, according to our information, various hypotheses are still on the table.
First track mentioned, the Stadium was quickly dismissed. “It was unfortunately not possible” because of the matches that will be held there at that time: after a bubbling Toulouse – Paris FC in Ligue 2 football on Saturday April 2 at 7 p.m., the lawn must be preserved before Toulouse-Ulster in 8and European Rugby Cup final on April 9.
The staff therefore turned to the Ernest Wallon stadium. There too, same topo: can the lawn of the champions of France and Europe be trodden by tens of thousands of spectators? Manuel Bompard calls himself a “pessimist”. In the end, as in the last two editions, the team rather aims a meeting on the public highway, downtown.
Prairie des Filtres, Allées Jules Guesde, or Ramblas Jean-Jaurès?
The location of the capitol was dismissed, deemed “too small” by the staff in the face of the expected attendance. According to Manuel Bompard, three major avenues remain on the table: the Meadow of Filters like in 2017, but also to change the air a little, the Jules Guesde aisles… and the ramblas Jean-Jaurès.
If nothing indicates what the format will be, this last hypothesis is favored by many local activists. Jean-Luc Mélenchon who galvanizes the troops on an artery bearing the name of the iconic figure of the left? “For the symbolism, it would be good”, blows the municipal councilor Agatha Roby. The historian already puts this into perspective “with Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s peace speech in relation to the conflict in Ukraine”.
“A lot of unknowns can change things”, sifted Manuel Bompard, cautious on the subject. By bringing together according to the organizers 70,000 people in Toulouse (their communist allies at the time, however, issued a press release to indicate that they were “only” 30,000, editor’s note), Jean-Luc Mélenchon had put the bar very high in 2017. In addition to the quarrel over the numbers, there were a lot of people… and to build the image of the candidate, despite the health context, his staff does not hear not regress. A hell of a challenge in the Pink City, where he had spoken for five years paid for the luxury of prancing at the top of the first round, with 29.16% of the vote, ahead of Emmanuel Macron.
Deputies and LFI figures in Toulouse, from Friday
Before the arrival of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the Popular Union organizes other events. This Friday, March 11, a public meeting is organized in the Rancy room, at 7:30 p.m., on the theme of gender equality, in the presence of three deputies: Clémentine Autain, Sabine Rubin and Bénédicte Taurine. The first two are elected in Seine-Saint-Denis, the third in Ariège. They will be in Toulouse with the feminist philosopher Elsa Dorlin.
Other LFI parliamentarians are expected in the Pink City in March. Among them: François Ruffin. On Wednesday March 23, the deputy of the Somme will hold a public meeting in the Osète room, before following with the support of Jean-Luc Mélenchon a televised presidential debate.
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