Anti-far right protesters march in France as election run-off nears

PARIS • Thousands of anti-far right protesters marched across France as opponents of presidential candidate Marine Le Pen seek to prevent her from winning an election run-off against incumbent Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.

Mr Macron, a pro-European Union centrist, won the presidency in 2017 after easily beating Ms Le Pen when voters rallied behind him in the run-off to keep her far-right party out of power.

This year, the first round of voting on April 10 set up the same battle, but Mr Macron is facing a much tougher challenge.

In central Paris, thousands of people gathered last Saturday chanting anti-far right slogans and warning of democratic upheaval if Ms Le Pen were to win.

One banner read: "Against the far right. For justice and equality, not Le Pen at the Elysee," referring to the French president's official residence.

"If the far right is in power we will see a major collapse of the democratic, anti-racism and progressive camps," said Mr Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racism which, along with dozens of rights groups, unions and associations, called for the protests.

"People need to realise that despite their anger towards Emmanuel Macron and his policies, there is no equivalence between a liberal, conservative candidate and a far-right candidate."

Police had warned of possible incidents as demonstrators convened in some 30 cities, but the protests ended peacefully.

Mr Macron, who held a rally in Marseille as he tries to convince left-wing voters to pick him on Sunday, is slightly ahead in opinion polls.

"The far right is a risk to our country," he told supporters in the Mediterranean port city, which put far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon first on April 10. "Don't heckle them! Beat them!"

Prior to the first round of the election, Ms Le Pen successfully tapped into anger over the cost of living and a perception that Mr Macron is disconnected from everyday hardships.

That saw her finish with 23.1 per cent of votes compared with 27.85 per cent for Mr Macron.

However, she appeared more rattled last week as the focus has turned to her manifesto and opinion polls have shown Mr Macron extend his lead.

An Ipsos-Sopra-Steria poll last Saturday showed the President winning the run-off with 55.5 per cent of votes.

He has won backing from former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande.

Hundreds of celebrities and sporting figures have also endorsed him to block Ms Le Pen coming to power.

Ms Le Pen, whose stance is anti-immigration and eurosceptic, has sought in recent years to soften her image and that of her National Rally party.

Opponents, including Mr Macron, have said her programme is full of lies and false promises - an accusation Ms Le Pen has rejected.

Speaking to reporters on a campaign stop in southern France, Ms Le Pen dismissed the planned protests as undemocratic.

"The establishment is worried," she said. "That people are protesting against election results is deeply undemocratic. I say to all these people, just go and vote. It's as simple as that."

The European Union's anti-fraud body has accused Ms Le Pen and associates of embezzling around €600,000 (S$880,000) during their time as Members of the European Parliament, French website Mediapart said last Saturday.

Her lawyer dismissed the accusations, raising suspicions over the "timing" of the report.

The agency accuses Ms Le Pen and others of having used the funds for national political purposes, personal expenses or for services that would benefit commercial companies close to her National Rally party and the far-right parliamentary group, Europe of Nations and Freedom.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE