France’s far-right frontrunner Le Pen kicks off presidential campaign in wake of unrest

Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right candidate to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in elections in six months, is preparing to give her first campaign speech today, a day after protests sweeping the country again flared into violence.

Le Pen — the frontrunner according to surveys — is seen to be benefiting in the polls from the convulsions France has been going through for weeks, punctuated by mass rallies and violent clashes yesterday and a week earlier.

More than 400,000 people marched in major French cities yesterday to protest against the rising cost of living, with clashes erupting after groups of masked protesters broke away from the demonstrations.

Police made more than 1,300 arrests and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez blamed much of the violence on “ultra-left” extremists.

Similar nationwide protests a week earlier also descended into unrest, following four weeks of student demonstrations over the poor state of France’s schools.

Unions and Yellow Vest protesters have vowed to keep up their street marches in the weeks ahead, pointing to a febrile period as the elections draw near.

Le Pen, who will address 10,000 members of her National Rally (RN) party in the city of Orleans, has accused Macron’s centrist government of being soft on violent protesters and lacking authority.

Police today are filtering traffic going into Orleans, after thousands of counter-protesters opposed to Le Pen and her anti-immigration, nationalist RN marched in the city yesterday chanting anti-fascist slogans.

Police put their numbers at 13,000, while organizers estimated the turnout at twice that.