Do we like them?

Do we like Jean-Luc Mélenchon?

Our score: 4 out of 10. A long record on the left and a reported record on LGBTQ+ rights, set against repeated antisemitism accusations and a past conviction.

Mélenchon is 74, founded La France Insoumise in 2016 and has led it ever since. He has run for president before, in 2012, 2017 and 2022, and in May 2026 he went on TF1 and said he would go again in 2027, naming the National Rally as his main opponent.

His rap sheet is short but real. In December 2019 a court in Bobigny gave him a suspended three-month prison term and an 8,000 euro fine after he was convicted of rebellion and provocation over a heated police search of his party's offices. He called the ruling political, so where you land depends on whether you see a politician shoving police or a politician being hounded.

It got heavier mid-year. Reports say three French survivors and relatives of the October 7 attacks filed a complaint accusing him of glorifying terrorism over a June rally speech, where he reportedly suggested the terrorist character of the attacks could be questioned. Earlier, after a student's death in Lyon in February, he defended the antifascist group Jeune Garde at a rally and attacked the press, which drew heavy criticism. The group's alleged role is part of an ongoing investigation, so nothing is proven there.

On the harm test we found no campaign by him against trans people, and PinkNews reported back in 2017 that he supports LGBT rights. The sticking point is his record on Jewish communities and Israel and Gaza, where critics say his words echo old tropes and he says he is being smeared for his politics. We couldn't read the full articles this session, so this is the picture from the search reporting, and the gap is on us.

The good stuff is mostly political: a long career arguing for workers and retirement rights, and in 2026 reported criticism of Senegal's tougher anti-gay law. We could not verify any charity or kind acts, so the good side is thinner than it might be, and that is a gap in our research, not proof of nothing.