Don't force French voters to choose between corporate establishment liberalism and xenophobic right populism. Unite in the first round of the presidential election behind the Left candidate with the most support in the polls.

Over the last few weeks, progressive French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has been rising in the polls and is now widely seen as a serious contender in France’s presidential elections. Polls also show that, should Mélenchon face off against far right candidate Marine LePen in the second round of the elections, he would win by a landslide.

Meanwhile, a small proportion of voters still support Socialist Party candidate Benoit Hamon, although he is now polling in the single digits.

If the first round of the French presidential election were held at this writing, there are strong chances that, in the second round, French voters would face a choice between status quo corporate establishment liberalism and xenophobic right populism. This was the scenario that elected President Trump in the United States. We don't want to see this tragedy repeated in France, with terrible global consequences. It wouldn't be farce. It would just be tragedy.

We urge French progressives to unite in the first round in order to guarantee that a progressive candidate goes to the second round, so that French voters won't have to choose between corporate establishment liberalism and xenophobic right populism, and instead can elect to office a candidate who opposes austerity, supports French workers and has the most far-reaching pro-environment platform of all the leading candidates.

The outcome of these elections isn’t just critical for France; it’s critical for the future of Europe and the world. With a truly progressive government, France has the economic and political clout necessary to reverse the European Union’s pro-austerity, anti-worker agenda, and put it back on the path of economic and social progress.

Join our call for a united progressive movement against corporatist liberalism and xenophobic populism in the first round of the French election by signing our petition.

In solidarity,

Danny Glover, Noam Chomsky, Eve Ensler, Mark Ruffalo, Nancy Fraser, Oliver Stone