in the middle of the campaign for the European elections, militant actions by environmentalists are struggling to convince

Left behind in the polls by another left-wing candidate, Raphaël Glucksmann, the ecologist Marie Toussaint is increasing her militant actions, like that day, in a Parisian supermarket.

Out of sight, in a street parallel to a Parisian supermarket, environmental activists distribute labels to stick on the shelves of a Parisian supermarket. This is one of the operations carried out by Marie Toussaint and her team. The campaign has just started and the environmentalist candidate is already under pressure: in the polls, she is hovering around 7% while the PS-Place Publique candidate Raphaël Glucksmann reaches between 11 and 13% of voting intentions. The pressure is all the greater since the Greens created a surprise five years ago, obtaining 13.4% of the votes for Yannick Jadot.

This time, it is about warning of the danger of eternal pollutants, PFAS, which are found everywhere. Surrounded by a group – not very discreet – she advances towards the clothing section of the store. And looks particularly at jeans. “We have everyday consumer products that contain PFAS. Why ? Quite simply because it is not regulatedexplains the candidate. Because we have not banned the use of PFAS on our territory, nor restricted imports of products that contain toxic products. They can affect fertility, especially where they are located, and cause cancer“, denounces Marie Toussaint.

A few collages later, the team heads towards the household products aisle. Here, “We are actually buying products that will make us sick! That’s the reality today”assures the head of the environmentalist list.

The operation does not appeal

Everything stops after five minutes, when the manager arrives. Without authorization, obviously, management puts an end to the operation. Marie Toussaint leaves… The security guard loses his temper: “If you want to propagandize, pick a topic and go debate! But don’t come into someone’s store and stick whatever you want.”

For Dominique, a customer, this type of action is a disservice to environmentalists. “It annoys me more than anything elseshe says. It has the opposite effect on me.” But, at the exit, the ecologists pretend to be satisfied. The deputy mayor of Paris, David Belliard, salutes the courage of his candidate: “When you want to change things, sometimes you have to take small, peaceful steps.”

“We are present in institutions, we are present in the streets, and sometimes, when necessary, we are present for civil disobedience operations.”

David Belliard

at franceinfo

These operations, “it’s part of our doctrine, our DNA”, adds David Belliard. Marie Toussaint intends to continue these actions to each time stage measures of its program.