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From Our Own Correspondent: A polarising vote in France

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Supporters with French national flags during a National Rally European election campaign event in Paris, France

29/06/2024 GMT

A polarising vote in France

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, A polarising vote in France

Concerns over crime, identity and immigration dominate 'an election that nobody wanted'.

French concerns over crime, identity and immigration dominate 'an election that nobody wanted'. Plus stories from the Gaza Strip, Canada's Haida Gwaii islands and Uzbekistan.

Pascale Harter introduces stories from voters in Verdun and Brittany; a bereaved family in the Gaza Strip; the artists of Canada's Haida Gwaii islands and the silkworm farmers of Uzbekistan.

Calling a snap general election in France was a huge political gamble for President Emanuel Macron - intended to force the electorate from their 'political fever' and reveal the true level of support for the hard right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen. Andrew Harding spoke to people in formerly-centrist Brittany, and around the old WW1 battlefield of Verdun, about the concerns which will sway their choice. 

Among the thousands of people killed during the last eight months of Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza strip have been hundreds of medical workers. One was Dr Ahmed Al-Maqadmeh, a reconstructive surgeon with years of specialised skills, a knack for making knafeh, and a loving family. Yolande Knell hears from his father, his widow and his former colleagues about his life and his death. 

In the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the west coast of British Columbia, Sally Howard meets the people bringing its Indigenous culture back to life - including the artists who are once more carving and raising the region's famous totem poles. 

And in Uzbekistan, Chris Aslan discovers one reason why silk is so precious. Households in the desert oasis of Khorezm know that raising a batch of silkworms is a serious business: they'll take over a family's living space, insist on a diet of mulberry leaves, and won't tolerate any loud noises or strong smells.  

Producer: Polly Hope
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison & Sophie Hill


(Image: Supporters with French national flags during a National Rally European election campaign event in Paris, France. Credit Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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