These French Left-Wing Lawmakers Snubbed A Far-Right Politician By Refusing To Shake His Hand

In a recent incident at the French National Assembly, left-wing lawmakers snubbed a far-right lawmaker responsible for overseeing the election of the new Assembly president and refused to shake hands with him.

Videos circulating social media showed left-wing lawmakers refusing to shake hands with 22-year-old, far-right National Rally (RN) party MP, Flavien Termet, on Thursday, July 18, during the first session of the newly elected French National Assembly to choose its new president.ly,

Termet served as the session's secretary as the youngest member of the Assembly, as part of the French tradition. In line with tradition, the oldest MP in the house convened the session.

As lawmakers cast their votes, Termet is seen extending his arm for a handshake. However, several leaders from left-wing parties snubbed him, to demonstrate their refusal of the far-right party’s ideologies.

Left-wing lawmakers Louis Boyard, Éric Coquerel, Clémence Guetté, Hadrien Clouet and Sophia Chikirou allavoided shaking Termet’s hand by dodging it.

François Piquemal, a left-wing MP of the New Popular Front (NFP), which received the majority of votes in the recently held snap elections, meanwhile, instead played a mock game of rock-paper-scissors with Termet. 

Piquemal shared a clip of the incident on X, writing, “In the ballot boxes, like rock paper scissors, in the end it is the NFP which wins.”

Sébastien Delogu, a lawmaker who once raised the Palestinian flag inside the National Assembly to protest France's refusal to recognize the Palestinian state, also shared a clip where he shunned Termet’s handshake, engaging in an intense eye-to-eye stare with him. 

“Shake hands with a racist party? NEVER,” he wrote in French on X.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, a close centrist ally of President Emmanuel Macron, was re-elected as the President of the parliament.

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