Marine Tondelier, the head of the French Green party, has called on the far-right National Rally (RN) leader, Jordan Bardella, to take part in a TV debate with her before Sunday’s second-round parliamentary election, accusing him of only wanting to debate with men.
Tondelier, known for her trademark green jacket, has emerged as one of the main figures of the New Popular Front left alliance, which is positioning itself as a clear alternative to the far-right National Rally (RN) in many constituencies in the final runoff.
On Monday, after the RN’s historic strong showing in the first-round of the snap parliamentary elections, Bardella, who would like to be prime minister if his party wins an absolute majority in parliament, said he wanted to debate the veteran leftwinger Jean-Luc Mélenchon this week on TV.
The anti-immigration RN wants to focus campaigning against Mélenchon, who founded the left’s La France Insoumise party, because he is a divisive figure in France.
On Monday, Bardella wrote a letter to the French people saying the left were “agents of chaos” and must be stopped. He said the left was an “existential threat for the French nation”.
He addressed Mélenchon on TV and on social media, telling him he “must come to a debate” because “France wants clarity”. Mélenchon ruled out personally taking part in a debate, suggesting other candidates from his party.
But Tondelier, and others on the left, argued that Mélenchon was not central to the campaign and had no chance of becoming prime minister.
She wrote to Bardella via social media, telling him that the left alliance had collectively agreed its debate candidates in advance: Manuel Bompard from La France Insoumise and the Socialists’ Olivier Faure had taken part in debates with Bardella and the prime minister, Gabriel Attal, in the first round, while she had been chosen to represent the left in the second round.
When Bardella continued to call on Mélenchon, she wrote: “Ah OK, so it’s really official, Bardella only wants to debate men.”
The Greens issued a statement asking “What’s Jordan Bardella afraid of?”
Several women on the left, including the former Socialist women’s minister, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, said the debates in the parliament elections had so far taken place without any women, and this week’s debate, scheduled to take place on BFMTV, must include Tondelier.
Tondelier began her political career as a municipal councillor in Marine Le Pen’s far-right constituency of Hénin-Beaumont, a former northern mining town run by a RN mayor, where she said she learned how to fight the far right.
Je pense aux binationaux, aux femmes, aux personnes LGBTQIA+, aux personnes racisées, aux associations, aux fonctionnaires, aux syndicalistes.
— Marine Tondelier (@marinetondelier) July 1, 2024
Dans des moments de l’histoire pareils, on ne peut pas commencer à chicoter comme on dit chez moi.
Il n’y a pas une seconde à perdre.… pic.twitter.com/H28DxVy3nq
In a passionate speech to left supporters on Sunday night, she said: “I’ve been an opposition politician in Hénin-Beaumont for 10 years; I know their values and their despicable methods. I’ve learned three things: never keep your head down, never close your eyes, never give up.”
