Elsa Marcel
Elsa Marcel | |
|---|---|
 Elsa Marcel in 2026. | |
| Member of the Municipal Council of Saint-Denis | |
| Assumed office 21 March 2026 | |
| Spokesperson of Révolution Permanente | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 20, 1992 Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Party | New Anticapitalist Party (2014–2022) Révolution Permanente (2022–present) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Elsa Marcel (born 20 December 1992 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a French Trotskyist politician and lawyer who also holds American citizenship. She is the spokesperson of Révolution Permanente. She has served as a member of the municipal council of Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis since 2026.
Biography
[edit]Elsa Marcel was born on 20 December 1992 in Memphis, Tennessee to a father who worked as a senior executive and a mother who was a primary school teacher. When she was two years old, her family returned to France and settled in the Paris suburbs.[1] She has lived in Saint-Denis since 2015.[2]
She joined the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA) in 2014, before becoming involved in the protests against the 2016 labour law. Called to the bar in 2021, she specialized in labour law and activist criminal defence. She joined Révolution Permanente following the split with the NPA in 2022 and became its spokesperson and leading advocate. She has also represented individuals arrested during the Nahel Merzouk riots,[1] activists from the Sainte-Soline protest, and pro-Palestinian activists.[2]
She was the substitute candidate for Anasse Kazib in Seine-Saint-Denis's 2nd constituency during the 2024 French legislative election. Their list received 3.88% of the vote.[2] She subsequently stood as a candidate in the 2026 municipal elections in Saint-Denis under the Révolution Permanente banner. Her platform centred on the requisitioning of vacant housing and of the Olympic Village for the benefit of poorly housed residents of the town, which has one of the highest overcrowding rates in the country,[2] as well as on combating police violence, including a proposal for the complete disarmament of the municipal police.[3] Her list won 1,894 votes, or 7.12% of votes cast, securing two seats on the municipal council.[4]
In 2026, she defended Kazib in a trial concerning charges of glorifying terrorism brought against him. She was also chosen by the parents of a teenager at the centre of a media controversy to defend his interests; Marcel believing him to be a victim of a "wave of racist hatred" stemming from a "media campaign launched by far-right figures".[5]
That same year, she published the book « État de droit », ordre bourgeois, which examines the difficulties of defending oneself in court "against freedom-suppressing governments, police violence, the colonial backlash in Kanaky, and radicalised employers".[5]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Bloch-Lainé, Virginie (27 May 2024). "Elsa Marcel, elle voit rouge". Libération (in French). Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Guédon, Claire (17 November 2025). "Elsa Marcel, la candidate aux municipales de Saint-Denis qui veut « réquisitionner le village olympique »". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ Jequier-Zalc, Pierre (11 March 2026). "À Saint-Avold et Saint-Denis, Révolution permanente se prend à rêver du second tour". Politis (in French). Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ "Résultats des élections municipales 2026 : Saint-Denis (93200)". France Info (in French). 24 March 2026. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- 1 2 Jacob, Etienne (3 July 2026). "Qui est Elsa Marcel, l'avocate d'extrême gauche qui va défendre Hamza «La Douane» face à la «haine raciste»". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 16 July 2026.