Gabriel Attal launches youth pact in Lyon and targets Mélenchon ahead of 2027 election
At his first regional rally in Lyon on Saturday, the Renaissance candidate presented a youth and education pact to about 2,000 people. The meeting came as high-school protests continued and one day before Jean-Luc Mélenchon's own education-focused meeting in Clermont-Ferrand.
A rally during high-school protests
Gabriel Attal held his first regional meeting of the campaign in Lyon on Saturday 10 October, in the Amphithéâtre 3 000, a hall that holds 3,000 people. The campaign team put attendance at about 2,000. The event took place as high-school students were mobilising across France, and as Attal's presidential bid, declared almost five months earlier, remains behind Édouard Philippe in the polls, according to SudOuest. Ouest France describes it as his second meeting, after a rally in Paris on 30 May held during a heatwave, and says it lacked the scale and atmosphere of the first one at the Porte de Versailles.
- Attendance (campaign team estimate)
- 2000 people
- Venue capacity
- 3000 people
The youth pact
Attal presented what he called a "pacte pour la jeunesse", built largely on measures he had already unveiled. They include fewer pupils per class and more teachers in front of students, made possible by falling birth rates, and a salary increase of 200 to 500 euros net for teachers at mid-career. He also proposed a certificate of studies required to enter collège, a mandatory brevet to enter lycée, and a "passerelle year" for students who fail. Franceinfo reports that, if elected, he would carry out a overhaul of the school timetable with sport, culture and arts from 3 p.m. onward.
I want to be the president who speaks to young people because he understands them, the president who looks to the future and wants to transform France.
Attal framed the pact as a response to the students in the street. Franceinfo reports that he told the students they deserve to be heard, respected and given answers, while condemning those who engaged in violence.
- Attal holds a campaign meeting in Paris, held during a heatwave
- Attal holds his regional meeting in Lyon, where the youth pact is presented
- Mélenchon is scheduled to hold a meeting in Clermont-Ferrand
Attacks on LFI and the National Rally
Attal positioned himself between La France insoumise and the National Rally. He accused LFI of trying to "divert" the anger of young people by "making youth political cannon fodder", and said Mélenchon's youth project amounts to "selection through failure", according to Franceinfo. He said the RN wanted only to "lock down" the protests. Speaking about the far-right party, he pointed to its leader's past.
On the RN side, there is not a word against the antisemitic youth writings of its leader Jordan Bardella, but there are not harsh enough words against young people who demand to have teachers.
Mélenchon is due to hold a meeting on Sunday at the Zénith d'Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand, also focused on education. SudOuest describes the two events as a head-to-head contest between the two candidates.
Positioning in the campaign
Les Echos frames the rally as Attal presenting himself as a candidate of youth while the government struggles to contain the high-school unrest. SudOuest reports that Montélimar mayor Julien Cornillet, a centre-right local official, gave him his backing at the event. The presidential election is scheduled for April and May 2027, according to Ouest France, meaning the campaign is about six months from the vote.
