Schulz thrived on the interaction with voters on the streets, and with the long holiday weekend approaching met not only French voters but also tourists from all over the EU. Schulz praised the activists for all their hard work as they gathered at Place Châtelet: “I cannot believe that it is nearly six months since we organised our first #knockthevote training here in Paris where I addressed you all. It’s great to see that you have kept up the same levels of enthusiasm, and are so dedicated to helping the PS with this campaign. It is your work in local communities all over France and Europe that will help us win the elections in May!”
As he made his way towards Beaubourg, Schulz had the chance to discuss voters’ concerns about the EU, and was able to clearly explain his vision for changing the political direction. For Schulz, it is clear that the EU can still be a force for good, but that the poor political leadership has been responsible for imposing tough austerity measures in the past five years. He also feels that the current EU leadership has lost touch with voters, which is why he was so happy to be out on the streets of Paris talking to voters about their daily lives.
The PES launched its ‘#knockthevote for @MartinSchulz’ grassroots mobilisation movement in 2013, inspired by the Barack Obama and François Hollande Presidential campaigns. A wide network of super activists identified by our member parties have been trained to mobilise their colleagues for door-to-door and digital voter outreach. The project has seen 1000 activists trained in France, 3000 in Italy, 4000 in Spain and 6000 in Romania, to give just a few examples. The PES is the only pan-European party with a genuine grassroots mobilisation, who is fully united behind a common candidate for the European Commission Presidency.
