Gabriel Attal and several political figures at the Lille clearance sale

Gabriel Attal has arrived in Lille for the traditional flea market (*braderie*). Alongside Violette Spillebout, MP for Ensemble pour la République, he shares a coffee in an establishment located near the station and exchanges words with locals from the Nord region. Surrounded by microphones and cameras, the candidate jokes: "We feel well surrounded!" Gabriel Attal is also accompanied by his campaign spokespersons, Abdoulaye Kanté, the Paris city councilor ("Changer Paris"), and Prisca Thevenot. Before beginning their walkabout, Violette Spillebout, who gave her colleague a mussel-shaped brooch (a symbol of the flea market, Editor's note), gives a few explanations to the Parisian: "The principle of the *braderie* is that you walk around and buy stuff you don't need. And you must never pay the price you're told, you have to negotiate!"

"We are here for one of my favorite moments, a moment in contact with the French people, in a family and popular atmosphere," states the candidate, who will be in Toulouse at the end of the day and in Rouen tomorrow. He evokes "the most important election since the beginning of the Fifth Republic, as the stakes are so high."

Asked about recent positions taken by RN members, Attal denounced the "submission and lack of preparation" of this party. He cited the case of Louis Aliot who announced yesterday that in the event of an RN victory, France would stop aiding Ukraine. "If France stops supporting Ukraine, it is potentially a victory for Russia," he asserted. The centrist candidate was also offended by Jordan Bardella's signing of a memorandum on immigration with British MP Nigel Farage. "France is destined to remain independent, non-aligned," he maintained. "Between the RN and me, there are two worlds, two diametrically opposed visions."

The arrival of La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, expected around 4 p.m. for a speech on a stage set up for the occasion, sparked criticism within the local right wing.

The head of Les Républicains list in the last municipal elections in Lille, Louis Delemer, compared his arrival to a "national political rally" and a "platform" for LFI, deploring the implementation of a setup "disproportionate" compared to the stands usually planned by political parties.

The Les Républicains stand is expected to host former Prime Minister Michel Barnier alongside. A regular at the Lille flea market, Jean-Luc Mélenchon is expected to speak for 45 minutes on the economic and social issues making the news this back-to-school season.

Speech by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, walkabouts by Gabriel Attal and Marine Tondelier: several presidential candidates are pacing the stalls of the Lille flea market, the largest of its kind in Europe, on Saturday. Renaissance Secretary-General and presidential candidate Gabriel Attal kicks off the parade of political figures with a breakfast with his supporters before strolling through the streets of Lille.

Between the 5,000 stalls of antique dealers and flea market vendors and the tables enjoying traditional mussels and fries, he might cross paths with the leader of The Ecologists, Marine Tondelier. As every year, the elected official originally from Pas-de-Calais plans to walk around before speaking at the end of the morning at her party's stand.

La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon is expected around 4 p.m. for a speech on a stage set up for the occasion. A regular at the Lille flea market, he is expected to speak for 45 minutes on current economic and social issues this back-to-school season. Jérôme Guedj, MP for Essonne and candidate in the Socialist primary, is also expected on Saturday alongside the PS mayor of the city, Arnaud Deslandes.