Protest Mars Le Pen Event

Skirmishes broke out on Saturday ahead of a campaign rally by French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, prompting the removal of more than a dozen protesters and the evacuation of the hall in Ajaccio, Corsica. Latest polls ahead of the April-May French presidential election show the race tightening, with Le Pen—leader of the anti-immigrant National Front—neck-and-neck with centrist Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to beat her in the runoff, Reuters reported. Around 50 people demonstrated in front of the venue in Ajaccio, chanting, “We don’t want the National Front.” Some of them managed to enter the hall where Le Pen was expected to speak. They clashed with Le Pen’s security team and fired teargas, prompting the evacuation of the hall. The event was moved to another venue. Le Pen’s campaign manager, David Rachline, said on Twitter that local authorities had not done enough to secure the venue and had allowed far-left “militia” to come too close.