A poster for the upcoming French elections has got us thinking about the resistance anthem 'Bella ciao' - its history, its versatility, its borderless influence. With France set for its most high-stakes election in recent years, there are plenty of posters, stickers and leaflets around to get the French population mobilized to vote in the snap parliamentary election. It all kicks off this Sunday (30 June) with the second round on 7 July, and could lead to France having either a hard-left or hard-right government, with President Macron having to appoint a prime minister from an opposition party – an arrangement known as “cohabitation”.
This could force him to compromise during the remainder of his presidential term. Bold move on Macron’s behalf, after having been crushed in the European Parliament elections, but a risky one. Also an anxiety-inducing one, as this election may give France’s far-right the upper hand.
As I was walking to work, one anxiety-alleviating poster caught my eye. It was hurriedly plastered on a wall, with the glue smears still visible. It stands as one of the savviest protest posters I’ve seen in a while.
Witty and effective, the banner read: “Bardella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao”, with the ‘ard’ in ‘Bardella’ singled out in white and scribbled out to read: “Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao.” Genius. For those of you who haven’t yet had the dubious pleasure, one of the key players during this election is Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old leader of.
