This might be the biggest political cultural difference between the British and French left. Patriotism has always been important for the left in France since the French Revolution. https://twitter.com/SocOfColour/status/1308395278828011521

During the French Revolution the common people of the lower classes called Les Sans Culottes were deeply patriotic whilst the Royalistes were traitors who worked with foreign kings to crush the Revolution..

In 1830, it is also on the basis of the defense of the interest of France and of its people that the July Revolution started and led to the overthrow of King Charles X in France..

Same again in 1848, when the Republican left fought for universal male suffrage to be the democratic voice of the common man in the country against rich and the Royalists. That's how the
February Revolution started.. the country needed protection against them.

And then 1871, La Commune de Paris ! Here again the left refused to let the Prussian enter in Paris and fought back against the Germans and those who betrayed France. This was the beginning of La Commune de Paris..

What about 1936? Same story again..the Fascists wanted to destroy the French Republic, the left united fought back to protect it and the country in 1934 and won the election in 1936..

French Resistance? Same story again. It started with Republican Socialists and soldiers who wanted to continue the fight against the nazis because they wanted to save France from them and kill all the traitors..

The French left is by far more left-wing than the British left will ever be, but is also proud of its flag, history and values. It's a patriotic left.

Even today the French hard left is proud of its flag and is unapologetically patriotic.
That's Jean Luc Melenchon in Paris in 2017 during a presidential campaign rally. 80,000 people turned up.