All posts tagged: Far left

Inside Germany’s far-left war on infrastructure – POLITICO

Inside Germany’s far-left war on infrastructure – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Later, an outfit calling itself the Volcano Group claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement published online, it dismissed sympathy for the residents of the affluent neighborhoods affected. There was no mention of the people whose lives it put at risk that morning. Germany’s federal prosecutor is now investigating the incident, and has informed Thomsen that he will be interviewed about his experience. For investigators, the Volcano Group’s claim was both familiar and frustrating. The name had appeared repeatedly over the past decade in connection with acts of sabotage against rail networks, power lines and the construction site of Tesla’s first European gigafactory. The German Interior Ministry attributes at least 13 attacks to the group, but investigators believe that it is less an organization than a label — one adopted by different perpetrators. Authorities suspect the January blackout is linked to a similar attack in September 2025, when unknown perpetrators set fire to two power pylons in southeast Berlin’s Johannisthal municipality. Their target was the electricity supply to the Adlershof technology park, one of …

Feuding French Socialists leave presidential prospects in disarray – POLITICO

Feuding French Socialists leave presidential prospects in disarray – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Even though the Socialists didn’t lose the municipal elections, we would be wrong to believe that we won them,” he told Le Parisien. Family feud Faure and Vallaud represent the two dueling visions of the Socialists’ future, and their divergent beliefs on how to choose a candidate for 2027 reflect that. Faure wants to look left. He is gunning for a broad primary, save for France Unbowed, to select a single candidate for the 2027 presidential race among the Socialists, the Greens, the Communists and other left-wing parties. Supporters argue such a primary would maximize the chances of a left-wing candidate reaching the second round. In the French presidential system, only two candidates qualify for the runoff, and many believe National Rally President Jordan Bardella’s strong poll numbers effectively guarantee him a spot in the final, even this early. “There’s an illusion that we’re going to win by bringing people who have voted for Macron twice back into the fold, even though they haven’t supported the left for over a decade,” said a Faure-aligned parliamentarian …

Former French PM Lionel Jospin dies at 88 – POLITICO

Former French PM Lionel Jospin dies at 88 – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Jospin, a defender of traditional parties, had criticized President Emmanuel Macron for making them obsolete and the French president’s “hubris” in a book published in 2020. Macron praised Jospin as “a great French figure” in a social media post Monday. “Through his rigor, courage and ideal of progress, he embodied a lofty vision of the Republic,” Macron wrote on X. Jospin, who successfully united the left camp during his tenure as the party’s leader in the 1990s and became prime minister in 1997, supported the left-wing alliance uniting the Socialists, the Greens and far-left France Unbowed during the 2022 legislative election campaign. But he cautioned against France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s disruptive political strategy shortly after the election, warning of its potentially destructive effects on the broader left in an interview with Le Monde. Jospin’s death was announced the morning after local elections that are setting the scene for the 2027 presidential race, at a time when the left is weakened by deep divisions among moderates over whether uniting with a dominant but increasingly toxic Mélenchon is inevitable — or …

France struggles to find political equilibrium – POLITICO

France struggles to find political equilibrium – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

It appears this surge was driven, at least in part, by geopolitical developments — specifically the war in Iran. Based on impressions on the ground, heightened anti-war sentiment seems to have mobilized both the Muslim and young hard-left voters who form the party’s base. The implications of this are significant: Many had written Mélenchon off after a series of scandals and a dip in national polling. But these successes suggest he may yet play an important role in shaping the presidential elections — again — making it difficult for a more moderate left candidate to emerge and possibly even reaching the final run-off alongside the far right. Meanwhile, France’s traditional parties — the center-left Socialists and center-right Republicans — continue to display an unexpected resilience at the local level, despite being nationally sidelined since 2017. Together they dominated a majority of towns, including many of the country’s largest cities, remaining deeply embedded in municipal politics. By contrast, French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist movement remains conspicuously weak, having failed to establish a meaningful municipal base after …

Forget Le Pen. French politics has a new archvillain. – POLITICO

Forget Le Pen. French politics has a new archvillain. – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“We condemn both extreme-left and extreme-right wrongdoing,” said a government official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly on the sensitive topic. “But there has been a complacency toward the far left, a sort of romanticism in France about the radical left that is dangerous.” Mélenchon, for his part, has long been a controversial figure in French politics, including for his refusal to immediately condemn the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. That position crystallized in recent days after he praised the spirit of “resistance” of the Young Guard, a now-disbanded antifascist group that was cofounded by a France Unbowed lawmaker and accused of involvement in the fight; blamed the authorities for the violence; and attacked the National Assembly president for suspending the parliamentary aide who is now under investigation for his role in the affair. Looking further ahead, one Socialist Party official warned against counting out the savvy political veteran Jean-Luc Mélenchon with more than a year to go before the presidential election. | Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images Left gets squeezed Though …

Likely French presidential candidate Mélenchon under fire after activist beaten to death – POLITICO

Likely French presidential candidate Mélenchon under fire after activist beaten to death – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said France Unbowed had a “moral responsibility” for fostering a “climate of violence.” During a meeting Sunday in support of a local candidate in Montpellier, Mélenchon expressed “empathy for the family of young Quentin” and said that “for [France Unbowed], nonviolence is a fundamental philosophical choice. Violence stunts our movements and brings fear that spreads.” Hassan on Friday said she had been “horrified” to hear of the attack against Deranque. “Whenever I travel, the only security service I work with and who accompany me is that of France Unbowed, which never resorts to violence and is in no way involved in these clashes,” she added. French President Emmanuel Macron responded to Deranque’s death by posting on X, “in a republic, no cause, no ideology can ever justify killing,” without targeting a particular group or political party. In an interview recorded prior to Deranque’s death, Macron said he believed France Unbowed was a “far-left” movement — a label which has been contested by the party and others on the left, as well …

Hungarian court sentences German to 8 years in assault on neo-Nazis – POLITICO

Hungarian court sentences German to 8 years in assault on neo-Nazis – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The Budapest court found Maja T. guilty of attempting to inflict life-threatening bodily harm and membership in a criminal organization. The prosecution had sought a 24-year prison sentence, arguing the verdict should serve as a deterrent; the defendant has a right to appeal. German politicians on the left condemned the court’s decision. “The Hungarian government has politicized the proceedings against Maja T. from the very beginning,” Helge Limburg, a Greens lawmaker focused on legal policy, wrote on X. “It’s a bad day for the rule of law.” The case sparked political tensions between Hungary and Germany after Maja T. went on a hunger strike in June to protest conditions in jail. Several German lawmakers later visited to express their solidarity, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Hungary to improve detention conditions for Maja T. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s illiberal government is frequently accused of launching a culture war on LGBTQ+ people, including by moving to ban Pride events, raising concerns among German left-wing politicians and activists over the treatment of Maja T. by the …

4 French mayoral races that will show where the presidential race is heading – POLITICO

4 French mayoral races that will show where the presidential race is heading – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Pissevin, a high-rise neighborhood just a 15-minute streetcar ride from the landmark amphitheater, seized national headlines in 2024 when 10-year-old was killed by a stray bullet in a case that remains under investigation but which prosecutors believe was linked to drug trafficking. “Ten to 15 years ago, a lot of crime came from petty theft and burglaries. But some of the population in underprivileged areas, looking for economic opportunities, turned to the drug trade, which offered a lot more money and the same amount of prison time if they were caught,” said Salim El Jihad, a Nîmes resident who leads the local nongovernmental organization Suburban. The Nimes amphitheatre and Pissevin / Source photos via Getty Images The National Rally is betting on Nîmes as a symbolic pickup. The race is shaping up to be a close three-way contest between Communist Vincent Bouget, the National Rally’s Julien Sanchez and conservative Franck Proust, Nîmes’ deputy mayor from 2016 to 2020. Bouget — who is backed by most other left-wing parties, including moderate forces like the Socialist Party …

Inside Europe’s far right — going pro and going strong – POLITICO

Inside Europe’s far right — going pro and going strong – POLITICO

Published by skeptic

When Europe’s biggest political family crosses the aisle to vote with the far right, something fundamental shifts in Brussels. In this episode, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks the vote that cracked the European Parliament’s cordon sanitaire — and what a newly disciplined, image-polished far right means for Ursula von der Leyen’s shaky centrist alliance. POLITICO’s Marianne Gros and Max Griera take us inside the omnibus showdown; Tim Ross demonstrates how the same forces are reshaping politics across Europe — from the English seaside town of Jaywick to Paris, Berlin and beyond. Plus — Aitor Hernández-Morales brings us a surprising counterpoint from Denmark, where voters pushed back against a left-wing government they felt had leaned too far toward the right. Source link