The France forward Marcus Thuram has urged his fellow citizens “to fight daily” to prevent the surging nationalist far right from taking power in the snap parliamentary elections in his country. Thuram spoke during a Euro 2024 news conference in Germany on Saturday, two days after his teammate Ousmane Dembélé implored people to vote in the elections called by the president, Emmanuel Macron, which will take place over two rounds on 30 June and 7 July. “I think the situation is sad,” Thuram said. “It’s very serious. I learned about it after [Sunday’s friendly] match against Canada. We were all shocked in the dressing room. “It’s the sad reality of our society today … As Ousmane said, we must tell everyone to go and vote. We all need to fight daily so that this doesn’t happen and that the National Rally [party] does not succeed.” Macron surprised the nation last Sunday when he called elections for the national assembly after Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally made historic gains in the European parliament elections. Protests were taking place in Paris and across France on Saturday amid fears that the elections will produce France’s first far-right government since the second world war. The two rounds of French elections are on back-to-back Sundays that could bookend games for Les Bleus in the last 16 and quarter-finals of a tournament they are widely predicted to win. “I hope that everyone shares my opinion in the France team,” Thuram said. “I understand that some players can come here and just say people should vote, but I don’t think that’s enough; you have to also explain how we got here and the seriousness of the situation. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone thinks like me in the France squad.” France open their Euro 2024 campaign against Austria on Monday. They later face the Netherlands and Poland in Group D.