in Montreuil, ecologists in difficulty “try to do their best” to mobilize the left-wing electorate

“I hesitate between the rebels and the ecologists.” Leaving his apartment in the center of Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), Thursday May 30, Théo was surprised by environmental activists going door to door. Does he know that the European elections will take place on June 9? “I hadn’t looked too deeply into the matter, but I plan to vote”, replies the twenty-year-old. Facing him, Mélissa Camara, elected environmentalist from Lille, in third position on Marie Toussaint’s list, unfolds her arguments.

“If you want ecology at European level and the defense of the Green Deal, then you have to vote green.”

Mélissa Camara, environmentalist candidate for the European elections

during a door-to-door operation

Theo alone perfectly sums up the battle that environmentalists must wage a few days before the June 9 election. While they finished in third place in 2019 by collecting nearly 14% of the vote, Marie Toussaint peaked at 6% in the polls. On the left, the outgoing MEP is far behind Raphaël Glucksmann, head of the PS-Place publique list, credited with around 14% of voting intentions. She is also in competition with Manon Aubry, the head of the La France insoumise list, which opinion polls give at 7%.

The risk of falling below 5%, the minimum threshold for obtaining elected officials, runs through the heads of the eight environmental activists and elected officials gathered for this action. The challenge: to remember the inhabitants of this left-wing city in the inner suburbs of Paris where environmentalists received 14.31% of the vote in 2019. “We recall that Green MEPs have done many things in the European Parliament in five years”, details Mélissa Camara. Théo nods at the mention of the Green Deal, a package of measures adopted by the EU which aims for carbon neutrality in 2050. The environmentalists may have won a voter.

A floor below, a door slams in the face of Annah Bikouloulou, general secretary of the Young Environmentalists. “It does not interest me”, says a voice. Not enough to discourage the young woman, who slips a leaflet into the frame of another door, while her colleague Félix Mésonnier does the same at the other end of the corridor. “We are generally well received, but many people are disillusioned by politics”she analyzes.

In this recent city center building, the other doors will remain closed. At 5:30 p.m., “it is surely a little too early for the Ile-de-France residents to have returned home”, supposes Mélissa Camara. Back on the street, the three ecologists find another team, returning from another building. They didn’t manage to talk to many people either.

“We try to do our best to remind people of the issues at stake in the election and what the European Parliament is for.”

Annah Bikouloulou, general secretary of Young Environmentalists

at franceinfo

While climate marches and a focus on climate issues carried them through 2019, environmentalists face headwinds five years later. Bad polls? “People make up their minds in the last days anyway.”, breathes Félix Mésonnier. The lack of notoriety of Marie Toussaint? “What matters is that we are leading a field campaign throughout France, with actions every day by reaching out to people”explains Annah Bikouloulou.

Heading towards another building block, Clara Crenn, a member of Marie Toussaint’s campaign team, hands a flyer to two women in full discussion. At the mention of the Europeans, the activist receives two big smiles and a “it’s all good”. “It’s a good sign”, she reacts. A few meters away, the activists try to enter a large building with a slightly faded facade. A small group of young men observe the scene. One of them wonders what’s going on. Well experienced, Clara Crenn gives him her argument. The young man had heard about the elections “seeing the election posters”but didn’t find out too much about the candidates. “Ah, yes, I know the ecologists”he reacts, a little doubtful.

Once they entered the building thanks to one of the young people who had the code, the two teams shared the floors. A man opens his door to Annah Bikouloulou and politely listens as the young woman talks to him about the election. One floor lower, Mélissa Camara gives a leaflet to a teenager who will pass it on to his parents, “I promise”. A door away, a couple with an intimidating dog refuses discussion. “These people don’t vote”concludes the Lille elected official.

Between closed doors and those who don’t want to talk, door-to-door is not always easy. “In Lille, there are more houses, it’s more friendly”, replies Mélissa Camara. You have to know how to aim correctly. “People on bikes work much better, you hand them a flyer and they take it straight away”says Annah Bikouloulou. “It’s certain that it’s a little more our electorate”laughs Clara Crenn.

Activists hope that local actions will bear fruit. Fatigue is starting to show at the end of the campaign. “I got up at five o’clock this morning, I was in front of the Senate for an action with environmentalists on PFAS”, breathes Mélissa Camara. The day is far from over, the team sets off for a meeting of Young Environmentalists.

In front of Montreuil town hall, only the posters of left-wing candidates were not torn down. Not enough to completely reassure Clara Crenn, who says all the same “a little stressed” by negative polls. “Returning to the field is good, because we can see that there is no massive rejection of ecology, as we can read here and there”, she reassures herself. And to hope that, as in 2019 with Yannick Jadot, the polls underestimate their candidate.