The French hard-left chief’s ties to Jeremy Corbyn

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the hard-left ‘France Unbowed’ (LFI) party, shares a number of things in common with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. 

The comparison was drawn frequently in the run-up to the French parliamentary elections this past weekend.

But it has become all the more pertinent since the shock victory of the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance – of which Melenchon’s LFI is the largest constituent party – over Emmanuel Macron’s centrists and Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally party yesterday.

The Melenchon-Corbyn connection goes beyond shared ideology and adherence to hard-left politics – the two stalwarts of the European left wing have met on several occasions, and have spoken fondly of one another over the years.

Both Melenchon and Corbyn have met on several occasions over the years, though the content of their discussions has always remained private.

But Melenchon – who has been accused incessantly of antisemitism despite repeated denials – has routinely defended Corbyn from those same accusations that dogged him for the length of his tenure as leader of the Labour party from 2015-2020. 

He attended a Labour party conference in 2015 shortly after Corbyn was elected leader in a landslide victory, where he told reporters that both he and Corbyn were supported by people who want to ‘take back control of their situation when faced with bankrupt parties, institutions and figures’.

Melenchon also said in 2015 that a Corbyn win in a general election would be ‘extremely gratifying’ describing the then-Labour leader as ‘capable’ and ‘unique’. 

In 2018, Melenchon travelled to Liverpool to speak at a pro-Corbyn event in Liverpool, where he said they both represented ‘the paradox of an older man representing a cause powered by millions of young people’.

And the pair were pictured together earlier this year at the Hague in the Netherlands, where they attended a hearing following South Africa’s allegation that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Both are known for their fervent pro-Palestine campaigning, with Melenchon declaring that he is committed to formally recognising a Palestinian state should he rise to power.

He has also openly described Israel’s bombing of Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attacks as a ‘genocide’, and refused to label Hamas a terrorist organisation. 

These stances have only added to the claims of antisemitism that have blighted Melenchon’s career – much like those levelled at Corbyn. 

The LFI leader is extremely unpopular among France’s Jewish population, as evidenced by the harsh criticism from prominent Jewish figures following the NFP’s success in Sunday’s election.

Moshe Sebbag, a rabbi at the Grand Synagogue of Paris said in the wake of the election that ‘it seems France has no future for Jews’, and advised younger Jews to ‘leave for Israel‘.

‘People my age, we’ve made our life here… we fear for the future of our children,’ he told The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, French-Jewish philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy said: ‘The left is once again kidnapped by the infamous Melenchon. Divisive language. Hate of the republic on the lips. Around him right now are some incarnations of the new antisemitism… Continue to fight against these people.’

Three years younger than his British counterpart, the 72-year-old Melenchon has been a fixture in French left-wing politics for decades and held ministerial posts in past governments.

Born in 1951 in Tangier, Morocco, to Spanish and Sicilian parents, he emigrated to France as an 11-year-old and joined the Socialist party in 1976. After spending more than 30 years as a socialist, he left the party in 2008 to forge his own path, disillusioned with what he felt was the party’s tilt towards the centre. 

He made his first unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2012 as a member of the Left party, and went on to launch the France Unbowed party in 2016.

A year later he attempted a second run at the presidency and lost out to incumbent Emmanuel Macron. 

Melenchon tried for a third time in 2022 and came third behind hard-right leader Marine Le Pen and the ultimate victor Macron – but his popularity grew with each successive attempt. 

A fiery orator, Melenchon is one of the most divisive figures in French politics, enthusing some voters while horrifying others with his unbridled tax-and-spend proposals, class war rhetoric and controversial foreign policy positions, especially on Gaza. 

He has now declared the French left ‘ready to govern’ after the NFP alliance emerged victorious in yesterday’s elections – albeit with nothing close to a majority. 

‘Our people have clearly rejected the worst-case scenario. (Prime Minister Gabriel Attal) has to go… The New Popular Front is ready to govern’, Melenchon said.

Corbyn, born in 1949, has had a similarly turbulent political career. 

His rise to the leadership of the Labour Party in 2015 marked a significant shift to the left, with his time as leader characterised by his commitment to socialist principles, including public ownership of utilities and staunch opposition to austerity.

Corbyn led Labour to a strong performance in the 2017 general election, though he ultimately resigned after the party’s catastrophic defeat to the Conservatives in 2019.

He was suspended from the Labour party in 2020 – and was subsequently expelled by the current leader and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier this year – after he insisted that claims of antisemitism made against him were overblown for ‘political reasons’. 

‘The scale of the problem also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media,’ Corbyn said, having condemned antisemitism in the strongest possible terms. 

Melenchon has made several similar statements.

In the run-up to yesterday’s elections dismissed claims he was anti-Semitic and has long said such accusations are simply trotted out to discourage people from voting for the left.

In 2018, he famously declared that when a ‘man of the left is called an anti-Semite, it means he’s not far from power’ – and also declared that Corbyn was not an anti-Semite either.

‘I don’t believe it. He belongs to a humanist tradition, which is incompatible with antisemitism.’