French rivals blame Mélenchon for unrest as election looms

French political rivals from the centre-left to the far right have accused Jean-Luc Melenchon and his France Unbowed party of fuelling the country's worst civil unrest in years, intensifying a blame-game ahead of the presidential election. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the party's "political agenda of instilling violence and chaos" was on display, while Senate President Gerard Larcher suggested considering banning LFI. Melenchon rejected the accusations, blaming the government for failing to address social and economic grievances in poorer suburbs. LFI draws support from younger voters and multicultural urban areas, but analysts say the unrest risks reinforcing his weakness among older voters. Critics cite his confrontational rhetoric, though supporters argue it refers to mass political mobilisation, not violence.