Jean-Luc Mélenchon in leather and cockade, that might be a detail for you…

On the cobblestones

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, too, has made his comeback. On Saturday, September 7, in Paris, the leader of La France insoumise (LFI), marched to protest against the appointment of Michel Barnier to Matignon. For the occasion, the party’s leaders, led by Mathilde Panot and Manon Aubry, were around him. The activists too. Well, some of them. According to LFI, there were indeed one hundred and sixty thousand people demonstrating that day in the capital. The police, on the other hand, only counted twenty-six thousand.

Hard skin

For the occasion, Jean-Luc Mélenchon had dressed, as is often the case at demonstrations, in one of the most astonishing pieces of contemporary French political clothing. In this case, this black leather three-quarter length jacket with a tailored collar, probably purchased, at the cost of a heavy investment, in the early 1980s, in a shop proudly specializing in all kinds of leathers and furs. This piece deserves a good coat of cream “universal” Sapphire. The traces of wear that impregnate it clearly indicate advanced dehydration of the skin.

National Tiercé

On the back of his leather jacket, Jean-Luc Mélenchon had attached a tricolor cockade that was obviously loaded with meaning. The cockade in question, a symbol of the Republic that appeared during the French Revolution at the initiative of the journalist Camille Desmoulins, has changed color several times since its creation. For a few hours, in fact, it was first green. Then it became red-white-blue. Before, under the Empire, between 1804 and 1815, becoming white-red-blue. To finally return to the red-white-blue as worn by the boss of LFI.

Standard bearer

Behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Mathilde Panot, MP for the 10^e constituency of Val-de-Marne and president of the LFI group in the National Assembly, also wore the country’s colours, with pride and precision. The wearing of the tricolour sash by elected officials is in fact strictly regulated. Mayors must therefore, legally, wear it in such a way that the blue is closest to their face, while MPs must put it on so that it is red, as is the case here.

Fidel emblem

Some symbols are, in this image, more subtle. In the background, in the mass of supporters, we can see three different headgear. On the left, a fedora-type straw hat with a black grosgrain. On the right, a red flat cap weighted with various badges. In the center, the beige cap is more interesting. Characterized by its short visor and flat crown, the classic American military cap M1951 Field Cap has indeed gone down in history thanks to Fidel Castro (1926-2016), who wore it, in its rigid version, for many years.