“It’s a bit like a family party. We argue, we shake each other, we jostle each other” – Libération

Even at 1 a.m., with good music, the deepest hatreds can remain tenacious. Friday evening, in the aisles of the Fête de l’Humanité, several dozen young people dance to Pookie by Aya Nakamura at the stand of Picardie Debout, François Ruffin’s small party. Five rebellious activists pass by and say: “Oh no, I’m not going to racists.”one of them says, laughing. “We mustn’t be seen here, it’s really too shameful. This is enough to get teased for months,” another one throws. After a few minutes of curiosity, the small group turns back without having ventured into this territory «hostile»said one of the Mélenchonist party-goers. The latest charge of the Somme MP is still too fresh to be corrupted by a good playlist…

Already execrable, relations between François Ruffin and La France Insoumise worsened at the beginning of the week after the last media tour of the César-winning director of Thanks Boss! Now outside the movement founded by Jean-Luc Mélenchon since his dramatic departure during the two rounds of the early legislative elections, the Picard accuses LFI of having given in to a communitarian drift. The former journalist deplores that the three-time presidential candidate and his supporters have chosen, according to him, to abandon a whole section of the population in order to focus on working-class neighborhoods and racialized youth. In his latest book, Itinerary. My France in its entirety, not halfway, The Amiens resident admits to having led “a campaign based on appearance” in 2022. “In the buildings of Amiens North, when I came across a black person or an Arab, I would take out Mélenchon’s head in big letters on the leaflets. It was almost a sure thing to succeed, but as soon as we came across a white person, it became a barrier,” says the deputy of the Somme.

“A speech to follow”

Enough to make the rebellious hard core jump, who did not fail to react. “Ruffin-Zemmour same fight?” asks movement coordinator Manuel Bompard in a blog post. Invited with other party leaders Olivier Faure, Marine Tondelier and Fabien Roussel to discuss on stage the challenges facing the NFP, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s close friend took the opportunity to respond again to Ruffin without ever quoting him. “Nobody considers that there are French people who should be abandonedinsists the deputy of Bouches-du-Rhône, to great applause. Those who think that certain subjects should be put aside, such as anti-racist issues, because they would be repellent for the rest of the population, are wrong. I will never agree with them.” A message sent to left-wing figures who believe that the best way to attract the working classes is to prioritize social issues over societal ones. “Of course you have to talk to everyone, but it’s normal when you’re a political party to develop strategies that allow you to develop margins for improvement,” he adds.

Until now, Jean-Luc Mélenchon had been careful not to respond to Ruffin’s accusations. Not even a blog post or even a small tweet. The triple candidate was waiting for his speech at the celebration of theThey are said some rebels speaking of a “speech to follow”On the subject, the triple presidential candidate will ultimately remain sober, not even once pronouncing the name of the Picard. “We take responsibility for our work in the working-class neighborhoods. We tell everyone who asks us to go here or there to go and let us take care of the working-class neighborhoods.”he claims. With this strategy, the former minister of Lionel Jospin believes that “Never [son mouvement] has never been so faithful to the struggles of the left.” And warns: “Those who distract us from this goal would distract us from the victory that we will eventually win through hard work and strength of conviction.” Moreover, according to Mélenchon, “If the neighborhoods and the poorest had voted like the rest of the country, at this time [le NFP aurait] the absolute majority”.

“You have hurt a lot of comrades”

François Ruffin had also decided to keep a low profile. Early in the afternoon, with another “ex” of LFI, Charlotte Girard, who left after the 2017 elections due to disagreement over the appearance “democratic” of the movement, he was satisfied with a “public discussion” which took the form of a very theoretical conference on the Constitution and institutions. At no time did the Picard return to his remarks from the beginning of the week regarding La France insoumise. The several security agents posted in front of the Picardie Debout stand to prevent possible disturbances had nothing to do…

The organization was not able to prevent the boos from the audience, however, later in the day, during a debate devoted to the conquest of the working classes. Present on stage next to Ruffin, the new LFI deputy Raphaël Arnault chanted “we are all anti-fascists” (“we are all anti-fascists”) with the audience apparently well supplied with activists of the Young Guard of which he was the spokesperson and uses the platform offered to him to address the elected representative of the Somme: “You have hurt a lot of comrades, especially the youth who have mobilized in large numbers […] You are in political error”he says to Picard, who doesn’t flinch. Until he is given the floor. Microphone in hand, the former journalist repeats his “deep moral and electoral disagreement” with Jean-Luc Mélenchon who, in his eyes, is leading a strategy “suicidal since it does not allow us to be in the majority in the country.” And adds: “The Fête de l’Huma is a bit like a family celebration. We argue, we shake each other, we tease each other, it’s normal.”

Walking together

Despite the falling out between former comrades, the left will still have taken advantage of this new edition of the Fête de l’Huma to show its desire to continue to move forward together while Michel Barnier’s government is due to be unveiled in the coming days. Gathered in front of an audience for the first time since the Université Libé organized at the Sorbonne in spring 2023, Faure, Bompard, Tondelier and Roussel all promised to do everything to avoid a scenario identical to that of the Nouvelle Union populaire écologique et sociale (Nupes). “We must preserve this unity as a common good that will allow us to build and move forward.”warns the national secretary of the PCF. Before the first secretary of the PS follows suit: “I will plead until the end that we can cultivate unity, to make the dreams we have formulated together come true.”

Used to putting on a show on stage, Marine Tondelier is the party leader who was most applauded this Saturday afternoon. The environmentalist is particularly applauded when she states “that obviously”the left will have to present a single candidate for the 2027 presidential election. To achieve this objective, the elected representative from Hénin-Beaumont calls on activists – as she often does – to call on her partners to stop the insults. “We’ve all been idiots in turn, but I don’t want us to make a spectacle of ourselves anymore,” she chants. However, it is normal that divergences exist between the four formations, underlines Roussel who just asks “that they be debated without invective and without insults”. For how long?

Updated at 8:17 p.m. with the intervention of Jean-Luc Mélenchon.