Taubira herself stressed in an interview with Le Monde that she does not oppose Hollande: “I am not seeking to establish myself as an opposition. I left the government because of a serious political disagreement. … But I want to be clear: I deeply respect the presidential office. When a society is in doubt and feels fragile, the institutions must be strong and powerful.”

Mélenchon’s attempt to present forces like Taubira or the Left Front itself as an opposition to Hollande is deeply cynical. He has worked with the people he called the “disgusting ones” for decades and helped elect them in 2012, as he admits: