Siavash Shahabi, a freelance writer and journalist, is a political refugee in Athens. He writes regularly about Iran, the Middle East and the situation of refugees in Europe. He is also the author of critical reflections on religion.
The first round of the local elections took place against a backdrop of widespread creeping fascism in France and comes after a brutal offensive by the far right, during which the traditional ‘Republican’ right has decisively broken from much of its historical framework and values.