Le Pen’s FN turns away news outlets from post-vote event

Around 15 news outlets say they had been barred from the election night gathering for French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and her supporters.

Le Pen’s National Front (FN) say they were turned away because of a lack of space at the venue, a dance hall in Vincennes, just east of Paris.

Le Monde, Liberation and L’Humanite newspapers said they would boycott the event out of “solidarity” with the other outlets.

French presidential candidate for the far-right Front National party Marine Le Pen (C) walks past supporters in the harbor of Le Grau-du-Roi, southern France, on early April 27, 2017. (AFP Photo/Bertrand Langlois)

Buzzfeed and Mediapart were among the online news sites that said on Twitter they were refused accreditation for the event, as well as reporters from Britain’s Sky News, the US monthly The Atlantic and the Italian public TV channel Rai.

“In solidarity with our counterparts, the editors of Liberation… have decided not to attend,” the paper’s deputy editor said, calling the snub “anti-democratic.”

Le Pen’s rival, centrist Emmanuel Macron, is favorite to clinch the presidency on Sunday, with the last opinion polls before the vote giving him a lead of more than 20 points.

— AFP