Thousands in France protest against Macron's choice of prime minister

Thousands took to the streets across France on Saturday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's choice of Michel Barnier, a center-right politician, as the new prime minister. Left-wing parties criticized Macron for disregarding the election results.

Barnier, a 73-year-old conservative and a former Brexit negotiator for the European Union, is the oldest of the 26 prime ministers that have served modern France's Fifth Republic.

Barnier's appointment ends more than 50 days of a caretaker government in France but offers no guarantee of a return to political calm. Barnier faces the challenging task of working with the acrimonious and deeply split hung parliament that emerged from an early legislative election Macron called in June, according to an AP report. 

The left, particularly the France Unbowed party, views Barnier's conservative background as rejecting the electorate's will, further intensifying the already charged political atmosphere of the EU's second-largest economy. Saturday's demonstrators denounced Barnier's appointment as denying democracy, echoing France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon's fiery rhetoric from recent days, the AP report added.

In Paris, protesters gathered at Place de la Bastille, and tensions ran high as police prepared for potential clashes. Some carried placards reading "Where is my vote?"

At the head of the Parisian procession, Melenchon spoke passionately, declaring that "the French people are in rebellion. They have entered into revolution."

"There will be no pause, no truce. I call you to a long-term battle," he said.

The organizers said about 300,000 people demonstrated peacefully across France, including 160,000 in Paris, although police in the capital said 26,000 people had protested in the city, Reuters reported.

Barnier meanwhile met with healthcare workers at Paris' Necker Hospital for his first official visit as prime minister. Opponents say the unrest in the streets is shaping his government's future.

Working to assemble his cabinet, Barnier expressed a commitment to listening to public concerns, particularly about France's public services.

(With input from agencies)