BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Calls to boycott French election and Saudis celebrate exam change

  • Published
    24 April 2017
Share page
About sharing
Screen grab of tweet by @anaphi06Image source, Twitter/@Anaphi06
Image caption,

Some French Twitter users say they will boycott the second round of presidential elections. The graffiti translates as: "Neither fatherland nor boss, neither Le Pen nor Macron"

ByLamia Estatie
BBC News

Some in France who are unhappy with the presidential election results are calling for a boycott of the run-off on 7 May, and Saudi students tweet their joy after the announcement that school exams across the country will not coincide with Ramadan.

#SansMoiLe7Mai

The French presidential run-off on 7 May will pit centrist Emmanuel Macron against far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

And some Twitter users who supported the nine other candidates in the race aren't pleased with the choice they are now faced with, calling for a boycott of the second round of the election.

While thousands used the hashtag #SansMoiLe7Mai (Without me on 7 May) to express their unwillingness to vote, critics of the choice said it was an "unacceptable" one and referenced the recent US presidential election.

One of the popular images shared, external using the hashtag showed graffiti, that rhymes in French and reads: "Neither fatherland nor boss, neither Le Pen nor Macron".

"This morning, we are asked to choose between the hatred of foreigners or hatred of the poor. Super, everything is fine," one Twitter user said, external.

Screengrab of tweet by @AnnaNesssImage source, Twitter/@AnnaNesss
Image caption,

"On 7 May, I will vote NO" - The choice between Macron and Le Pen is a no-no for some

Another tweeted, external their intent to boycott the 7 May election, while one added, external: "We will not vote for Le Pen, we will not vote for Macron. They can go to hell."

"In the second round, you have a choice between voting for the cause of the problem or one of its consequences," a user continued, external.

One jokingly said, external: "The presidential elections will be #SansMoiLe7Mai since I have moved to the planet Aldebaran [a giant star 65 light years from the sun]."

line

You might also like:

  • What do Macron and Le Pen stand for?

  • US internet 'warriors' send racially charged symbols to France

line

But some online are urging people to go out and vote, drawing, external parallels to the US presidential election.

Screen grab of tweet by @NouaDoukaiImage source, Twitter/@NouaDoukai

"The hashtag #SansMoiLe7Mai is unacceptable. Do you remember our reaction after [US President Donald] Trump was elected? Do you want the same thing for France?" one Twitter user questioned, external.

Another tweeted, external a smiling gif, captioned: "When Marine [Le Pen] sees the hashtag #SansMoiLe7Mai."

And one voter pleaded, external: "Abstention has always benefited the FN [National Front]. I beg you, don't do it [boycott the election]. In any case, on 7 May, I will go vote."

line

Saudi students celebrate exam date change

Saudi Arabia's King Salman at a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony in Putrajaya, Malaysia February 27, 2017Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Saudi pupils are praising King Salman for his decision to bring forward exams so they don't coincide with Ramadan

Saudi students are celebrating a decision to change the date of school exams nationwide so they are held before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in late May.

On Saturday, Saudi King Salman announced the decision alongside a series of decrees including some which reversed public sector pay cuts.

Hundreds of thousands tweeted their jubilation, posting humorous memes and videos though some raised concerns they now have less time to prepare. There have also been online calls for the decision to be rolled out in other Gulf countries.

Fasting Ramadan - the holiest month in the Islamic calendar - is one of the five pillars of Islam and those observing the fast abstain from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset.

Screen grab of tweet by @khalidjassem74Image source, Twitter/@khalidjassem74
Image caption,

Some Saudi students jumped for joy upon hearing the news

A widely shared video shows, external some Saudi pupils running and screaming with joy after watching the news on the announcement on TV.

Another video, external, captioned "my current state", showed a man giggling to a catchy tune.

One said, external they would be dancing at school on Monday and others tweeted, external praise to the Saudi king.

But some tweets expressed concern over what the sudden decision to wrap up curriculums in the next month will mean for students and teachers alike.

Screen grab of tweet by @___ranuImage source, Twitter/@__ranu
Image caption,

Fretting over the little time left to prepare for exams, one user tweeted: "How do I get the grades in a couple of weeks?"

Some speculated teachers in Saudi schools would sound like auctioneers, external as they scramble to speed-teach their classes before the exams' deadline.

Another tweeted, external an image of Nasa scientists using a large blackboard in 1961: "The situation in classes and lectures tomorrow."

And students elsewhere in the Gulf demanded, external a similar change in their exam dates under the slogan "our Gulf is one", external, with local iterations of the Arabic hashtag "No_exams_in_Ramadan" appearing in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain.

With nearly a four-month summer vacation now facing Saudi students, who could blame them?!

By the UGC and Social News team; Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring's Middle East team

Top stories

  • Payouts of £700 per driver after car finance scandal

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • High immigration levels damage communities, Badenoch warns

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • Stephen Lawrence killer admits role but refuses to name accomplices

    • Published
      2 hours ago

More to explore

  • Harlequin ladybirds are swarming UK houses this week - here's why

    • Attribution
      Weather
    A close up picture of a swarm of red and black spotted ladybirds
  • Emma Watson, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie in the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week

    Emma Watson poses for the cameras outside the Miu Miu show in Paris, wearing a brown jacket and sporting a ring on her wedding finger.
  • Time may be running out for Master of clocks Macron: What next for France?

    A headshot of Emmanuel Macron looking serious
  • 'I deeply hurt people by moving to Saudi Arabia'

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Ashleigh Plumptre
  • I was fooled into paying £500 to be a model. Here's how to avoid my mistake

    Older woman with short blonde hair wearing a red top and white trousers posing for a photoshoot
  • The footballer who cycles to work after being inspired by Wenger

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Arsene Wenger and Hector Bellerin
  • Rare October Harvest Moon rising Tuesday marks first supermoon of 2025

    • Attribution
      Weather
    A close up picture of a full moon on a black night sky
  • Jeremy Bowen: Two years on, will Israel and Hamas seize the chance to end the war?

    Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes targeted residential areas in the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel near the border, on October 07, 2025
  • News Daily: Our flagship daily newsletter delivered to your inbox first thing, with all the latest headlines

    A promo promoting the News Daily newsletter - a graphic of an orange sphere with two concentric crescent shapes around it in a red-orange gradient, like a sound wave.
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Payouts of £700 per driver after car finance scandal

  2. 2

    Robin Williams' daughter pleads for people to stop sending AI videos of her dad

  3. 3

    EU steel tariff hike threatens 'biggest ever crisis' for UK industry

  4. 4

    Farage 'genuinely worried' by death threat: court

  5. 5

    Stephen Lawrence killer admits role but refuses to name accomplices

  6. 6

    Canadian marine park threatens to euthanise 30 beluga whales

  7. 7

    High immigration levels damage communities, Badenoch warns

  8. 8

    Time may be running out for Master of clocks Macron: What next for France?

  9. 9

    Two Austrian women switched at birth meet 35 years later

  10. 10

    Emma Watson, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie in the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • The Bafta-winning Belfast police drama returns

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Blue Lights has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Blue Lights
  • Andy Zaltzman dissects the week's news

    • Attribution
      Sounds

    Added to My Sounds
    The News Quiz has been added to your My Sounds.
  • Exposing a disturbing scam targeting teenage boys

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Blackmailed: The Sextortion Killers has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Blackmailed: The Sextortion Killers
  • The foods that could help you live to 100

    • Attribution
      Sounds

    Added to My Sounds
    The Food Chain has been added to your My Sounds.
    The Food Chain
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.