The new Mélenchon has arrived. Does he have a chance?
Jean-Luc Mélenchon would like to silence Rima Hassan, her flags and her slogans, which frighten the French. But that is not the wish of the figurehead of LFI, who intends to place the Palestinian question…
Assessment
Jean-Luc Mélenchon faces an internal rebellion as Rima Hassan refuses to sideline the Palestinian cause, which Mélenchon sees as electoral poison. The piece frames this as a battle for the soul of La France Insoumise, with Hassan's insistence on the issue inviting antisemitism accusations that could make Mélenchon a pariah to most French voters. The language escalates sharply, comparing the movement's discipline to robotic obedience and its ambition to Nazi social engineering. Watch whether Mélenchon can discipline his own party or whether Hassan's faction drags the campaign into a referendum on antisemitism.