The leader of French left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has voiced support for Canadian independence, denouncing what he described as threats from the “Gringo” US President Donald Trump.
In an interview with Radio-Canada during his visit to Quebec on April 14, Mélenchon described his trip as a sincere gesture of solidarity with Canada and its sovereignty.
“It’s unthinkable that the gringo would dare to threaten you with annexation,” Mélenchon said, referring to Trump.
“We’re resisting the Russian invasion of Ukraine – it’s not so we can turn a blind eye to the potential invasion of Canada by the United States of America. So take this as a message of solidarity and affection.
“If we have to, with sticks or stones, we’ll come help,” he added.
Mélenchon emphasised that many Europeans stood with Canada, distancing the broader population from their political leaders: “Don’t believe for a second that all French people are as pathetic as their President, or that the British are as weak as their Prime Minister, or Europeans as spineless as the European Commission’s President.”
Mélenchon also accused Western leaders of cowardice, claiming they were too afraid to speak out against Trump.
He argued that the US President wanted to protect a world order that was no longer viable.
“The world order he [Trump] wants to preserve is toxic, deadly and suicidal. He wants to ramp up oil extraction anywhere possible – even as the planet says this is madness. Yet oil and gas projects are booming more than ever.
“It’s suicidal,” he said.
Mélenchon’s remarks came as he toured North America to promote his latest book, Do Better: Towards a Citizens’ Revolution, published last year.
In it, he called for resistance against the dominance of financial interests and urged citizens not to resign themselves to what he called a destructive economic system.
He was also scheduled to deliver public talks and engage with political groups during his trip and planned to meet with members of Québec solidaire, a left-wing party in Quebec.
In his interview, Mélenchon took aim at US democracy, arguing that its compromises with power have paved the way for the current political situation.
If the US has ended up with Trump as President again, maybe that was because [Democrat] Kamala Harris was the only alternative, he said.
“As long as the so-called Left acts as a servant to powerful interests, you’ll keep ending up with the same disasters,” he added.
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the United States, the French hard-left party La France Insoumise has called for a shift towards left-wing “radicalism” to counter the far-right. https://t.co/CfeXPbeEgV
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 7, 2024
