A grassroots campaign

The European Parliament is a vast composite of the major political trends in Europe, with groups covering the whole spectrum of thoughts on the continent. But these elections are also an opportunity for smaller parties to try and make their mark. This is the case of the new party set up at the beginning of the year by David Foka and his supporters, as well as the d'Bréck association, among twelve other lists in the race on 9 June.

David Foka is no stranger to politics, as we keep reminding him. He joined LSAP, then déi gréng, before throwing in the towel in disgust. "I was already politically active in Germany, within the SPD, which is why once in Luxembourg I naturally turned to the LSAP. I wanted to help integrate all the foreigners who come to the country, but the parties are afraid. By not being heard, I got discouraged and preferred to concentrate on the non profit sector." It was the same disappointment for déi greng, even though they got off to a promising start: "Felix Braz came looking for me, promising me inclusion within the party, and that was true at first because I was elected to the steering committee for gender equality. But I soon realised that he was my only support. As soon as he left because of his health problems, I found myself all alone."

He was then disappointed but after many years working on the ground in the voluntary sector, this time he is determined to give a voice to those who have none. First they had to fight to collect the signatures needed to have the list validated by the authorities: "We had collected 543 signatures, which was quite a feat for a brand new movement, but we discovered that only 253 signatures were valid. We weren't aware of the law, which stipulates that only Europeans resident in Luxembourg can take part", he explains. But the valid signatures were enough and the list was submitted on time. Since then, the Zesummen have been roaming the streets of various communes almost every evening, convincing potential voters, introducing themselves and, above all, explaining what is at stake in the European elections.