PARIS (Reuters), – Saturday’s closing of a Paris main square by climate activists was prompted by protests against France’s environmental policies.

Extinction Rebellion’s (XR), had posted on its website that they planned to stop a Parisian landmark to disrupt the electoral process and their “business as usual” attitude.

Although cost of living remains the most important election theme, policies regarding energy are also closely tied to it. Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate, and incumbent Emmanuel Macron have presented very different policies about the sector.

“We block the Paris square in order to protest against alternative options that we don’t have.” We are left with only two choices in this election: a far-right candidate with blatant ideas… or a candidate who has for five years ignored the ecology issue and lied,” Lou (26), a historian who joined Extinction Rebellion’s movement two years back, told Reuters.

Many hundreds of protestors gathered in Paris 9th District, waving banners aimed at the candidates and chanting slogans like “their inaction causes our rebellion” or “lay on the ground in protest.”

Only eight days away from a runoff which will decide who will be the European Union’s largest economy in the next five-years, polls have shown that the centrist president is slightly ahead his far-right opponent, but it promises to tighten.