Protests also took place in dozens of other places across France, its organizer from The Patriots party said. Demonstrators carried national flags and banners that read, "For Peace," "No to a Third World War" and "Let’s Quit NATO."
Florian Philippot, a euroskeptic firebrand who called the rallies, said that peace talks were the only way out of the Ukrainian conflict. He warned that French weapons supplies to Ukraine were only bringing everyone closer to a third world war.
Philippot said the fact that the European Union had adopted 10 rounds of sanctions against Russia within a year showed that restrictions were not working. He criticized France and Europe for following the United States blindly, even after it apparently blew up crucial gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea.
He also lashed out at NATO, a military machine that should have been dismantled at the end of the Cold War and that is only good at starting conflicts. He said NATO will have China lined up to serve as its next enemy as Taiwan rhetoric keeps heating up.