‘He’s just like Hollande’ Marine Le Pen SAVAGES Emmanuel Macron in vicious war of words
MARINE Le Pen has labelled presidential rival Emmanuel Macron the “candidate of continuity” as the race to the second round of the crunch election heats up.
Marine Le Pen has intensified her war of words with Emmanuel Macron
The right-winger, who is currently trailing the centrist by around 20 points in the polls, claimed Mr Macron was just like current president François Hollande.
She told supporters at a rally north of Paris: "Emmanuel Macron is just François Hollande, who wants to stay and who is hanging on to power like a barnacle.”
She branded Mr Macron, the 39-year-old leader of the En Marche! party, a candidate of “morbid continuity, littered with the corpses of jobs transferred offshore, the ruins of bust businesses, and the gaping holes of deficit and debt”.
There were violent clashes in Paris as both candidates held rallies
But pro-EU former Economy Minister Macron did not take the claims lying down.
He fired back at the former Front National leader, telling reporters in Paris: “I will fight up until the very last second not only against her programme but also her idea of what constitutes democracy and the French Republic.”
Anti-Le Pen protesters clash with police in Paris
Emmanuel Macron is just François Hollande
The vicious war of words came as demonstrators clashed with police near a traditional May Day march in central Paris.
Protestors launched petrol bombs and other missiles at riot police near the Place de la Bastille in the French capital.
Mr Macron has said the future of France and its relationship with Europe was at risk in the election.
Ms Le Pen has offered voters a “Frexit” referendum on France’s membership of the EU if she were to enter the Elysee palace.