Raphaël Glucksmann holds pivotal Aubervilliers meeting to rally French left

On 13 June, former euro‑deputy Raphaël Glucksmann staged his first campaign meeting at the Docks in Aubervilliers, Seine‑Saint‑Denis, targeting around 2,000 attendees. He presented a “new patriotic contract” aimed at increasing teachers, revisiting the pension reform and promising a stronger role for work and social justice, positioning himself as a centrist alternative to Jean‑Luc Mélenchon’s left‑wing surge. Glucksmann urged the French left – particularly the Socialist Party – to unite behind his platform and avoid a primary, citing poll data that a unified front could block the far‑right National Rally in a second‑round runoff.

The meeting featured prominent figures such as regional president Carole Delga, senator Laurence Rossignol and ecologist Yannick Jadot, while former President François Hollande and Socialist leader Olivier Faure stayed away. Critics within the left accused Glucksmann of elite‑driven politics and a centrist drift, but he emphasized that his agenda would revive the left’s appeal ahead of the 2027 presidential election.