Brexit-style protests intensified in the French capital over the weekend, with demonstrators calling for France’s withdrawal from the European Union to protect the farming community from EU policies.
The rallies, organised by Florian Philippot, leader of the Sovereignist Patriots Party, drew more than 1,000 people, who demanded ‘Frexit’.
In a video posted on his X account on Sunday, Philippot was seen holding the EU flag alongside a man he described as an ‘angry farmer’. The pair tore the flag into two and threw it into the cheering crowd, who waved French tricolours.
One protesting farmer, Alexandre Patte, urged demonstrators to ‘torch a blue dishcloth with stars’—referring to the EU flag—in a symbolic call to force the French government to hold a referendum on Frexit to safeguard national agriculture.
Philippot argued that “almost everyone in France is now suffering because of EU policies”. He described the rally as a “national march for France’s exit from the EU and for the restoration of our independence”. The farmer protests escalated last year following the proposed EU–Mercosur free trade agreement.
While the French government has argued that the deal would help stabilise food inflation through sustainable and cheaper imports, protesters claim it would devastate domestic producers. The agreement includes countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, which are not subject to the same stringent regulatory standards applied to EU farmers.
“Down with the EU, Ursula von der Leyen out—Vive la France,” said Magnanville mayor Michel Lebouc, after lowering the EU flag. His counterpart in Gargenville, YannPerron, echoed that French agriculture deserved protection.
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