France: Jewish candidate wins primary - and attacked with flour

Raphaël Glucksmann, son of philosopher André Glucksmann, won the center-left primary in France with 66% of the vote and will be the camp's presidential candidate. Shortly after the victory, Glucksmann was attacked with flour by a passerby. He will now compete with Jean-Luc Mélenchon for leadership of the left, while Marine Le Pen leads in the polls.

Raphaël Glucksmann, a Member of the European Parliament and son of Jewish philosopher André Glucksmann, won the center-left primary in France yesterday (Sunday) with 66% of the vote, becoming the camp's candidate for the presidential election in April. Shortly after the victory, a passerby poured flour on Glucksmann as he left a bar in Paris and fled. On his way to the declaration hall, residents threw rice at him and shouted support for Mélenchon. Glucksmann, 46, is a former essayist and journalist who made his first political steps in Georgia as an advisor to President Mikheil Saakashvili. He is identified with a pro-European and pro-Ukrainian line. He will now compete with far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon for leadership of the fractured left, in a race where far-right leader Marine Le Pen leads the polls with 31%-36%. A previous poll gives Glucksmann 11%-13% in the first round. The elections will take place against the backdrop of a deep debt crisis in France and violent high school student protests.