Jean-Luc Mélenchon will win young French voters – until they realise the size of his Russia blind spot | Alexander Hurst

La France Insoumise gives voice to the left-behind, and progressives approve. But many recoil from a leftwing leader whose foreign policy is stuck in 1985 Théodore Abitbol is a self-described “militant antifascist,” with degrees in political science and comparative literature, and a bookshelf that ranges from the gender and queer theory of bell hooks to the anti-capitalist social analysis of the Marxist theorist Mike Davis. The 34-year-old is a regular participant in pro-Palestine protests, and has a decade of full-time activism under his belt: unions, strikes, protests, civil disobedience and vast protest encampments used to block construction projects, known in France as ZAD – for “zone à défendre”. Alexander Hurst writes for Guardian Europe from Paris. His memoir Generation Desperation is out now Continue reading...