'I will protect you!' Le Pen tells voters ahead of presidential election

[webfact]

'I will protect you!' Le Pen tells voters ahead of presidential election

By Ingrid Melander and Philippe Wojazer

REUTERS

 

Marine Le Pen, French National Front (FN) political party leader and candidate for French 2017 presidential election, attends a campaign rally in Paris, France, April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

 

PARIS (Reuters) - Far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Sunday sought to mobilise her supporters six days ahead of France's most unpredictable presidential election in decades by pledging to suspend all immigration and shield voters from "savage globalisation."

 

Opinion polls have for months shown Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron qualifying on Sunday for the May 7 run-off, but the gap with conservative Francois Fillon and far-leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon has been tightening.

 

"I will protect you. My first measure as president will be to reinstate France's borders," Le Pen said to wide applause and cheers from the crowd of about 5,000, prompting the National Front's (FN) traditional "This is our home!" chant.

 

Slamming her rivals, whom she said wanted "savage globalisation," she said hers was the camp of patriots. "The choice on Sunday is simple," she said. "It is a choice between a France that is rising again and a France that is sinking."

 

While no polls have shown Le Pen missing out on the run-off, they are now within the margin of error and any two of the four top candidates have a shot at qualifying. Polls have consistently shown her losing that second round.

 

With pollsters saying abstentions could hit record highs, convincing voters to go to the polling stations on Sunday is key. Le Pen sought to do so by hitting her party's trademark anti-EU, anti-immigration themes hard.

 

"Fight for victory, until the very last minute," she said. "If every patriot can this week convince just one abstentionist, just one undecided voter, we are sure to win!"

 

Getting the crowd to boo the European Union and its border-free Schengen area that she would take France out of if elected, Le Pen said: "Mass immigration is not an opportunity for France, it's a tragedy for France."

 

Promising to immediately impose a moratorium on immigration, she said: "The French sometimes have fewer rights than foreigners - even illegal ones."

 

SCUFFLES

 

Scuffles briefly broke out between 60 to 80 anti-FN protesters and police near the Zenith concert hall in north-east Paris ahead of the rally, a Reuters photographer said.

 

Police fired teargas at the protesters, some of whom threw chunks of wood. The protesters then left, followed by a small group of police.

 

During Le Pen's speech, one young woman jumped on the stage and was immediately carried away by security and a topless woman later shouted out from the middle of the concert hall in an apparent protest against the candidate.

 

FN lawmaker Gilbert Collard told reporters on arriving at the hall that he was hit in the neck by a beer bottle and that other objects were aimed at him before police intervened. Another FN official, Jean Messiha, said he saw a couple of Molotov cocktails being thrown. Reuters could not verify either comment.

 

A few hours earlier on the other side of Paris, Le Pen's most likely run-off opponent, Macron, addressed a crowd nearly four times larger in another concert hall and struck a starkly different, pro-European tone.

 

But Le Pen's supporters dismissed her opponent and his ideas.

 

"Macron is a pure marketing product," said 26 year-old Veronique Fornilli, an FN youth activist in the Paris region. "Only Le Pen can put France back in order," she said, also praising the FN leader for her anti-EU, anti-euro stance.

 

"I want to give France its freedom back, I want to take it out of jail," Le Pen said of her plans to pull the country out of the euro.

 

(Additional reporting by Philippe Wojazer and Simon Carraud; Editing by Leigh Thomas and Hugh Lawson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-04-18

[jonclark]

If this lady wins and goes through with her campaign promises then the eu in its current format is a dead duck. 

 

If France restricts the free movement of people by taking back control of its borders. The EU has a far bigger issue than Brexit to deal with.

 

[RichardColeman]

Here's hoping ! This is your moment France. If you do not do it now you never will, as you will be too full of foreigners in the coming years. 

[pitrevie]

35 minutes ago, jonclark said:

If this lady wins and goes through with her campaign promises then the eu in its current format is a dead duck. 

 

If France restricts the free movement of people by taking back control of its borders. The EU has a far bigger issue than Brexit to deal with.

 

On the other hand if she doesn't that will dash the hopes of all those whose fervent wish is to see the EU fall apart as if somehow that benefits the UK. For some strange reason the Euro is still popular in the Euro zone as is  Schengen both of which are hated more by the British who are not involved in either. 

[FitnessHealthTravel]

2 hours ago, jonclark said:

If this lady wins and goes through with her campaign promises then the eu in its current format is a dead duck. 

 

If France restricts the free movement of people by taking back control of its borders. The EU has a far bigger issue than Brexit to deal with.

 

She is not concerned about the future of the EU as she is about her Country's future. Country first, always.

[jonclark]

2 hours ago, pitrevie said:

On the other hand if she doesn't that will dash the hopes of all those whose fervent wish is to see the EU fall apart as if somehow that benefits the UK. For some strange reason the Euro is still popular in the Euro zone as is  Schengen both of which are hated more by the British who are not involved in either. 

Er yeah right.. huge numbers of British are very much in favour of the EU. So this idea that schengen and the Euro are hated by the British is a complete fabrication. 

 

Just a regurgitation of the facts as seen through the filter of the Daily Mail and Katie Hopkins. Hardly a true representation.

[Ulic]

With a high rate of abstentions predicted in the first round it is the grass route hard line

crazies (read Tea Party type) that will have an overweight input in selecting the two run off

candidates. That points to a Le Pen - Melenchon runoff. Melenchon has momentum

and the crazy lefties who are further left than the Tea Party is right. Both want out of the EU.

Between theses two Le Pen is the moderate candidate. Trump, The French election, North Korea.

Brexit, Grexit, Syria, migration to Europe, South China Sea, Ukraine, global warming.

We are living in interesting times.

[JHolmesJr]

while i hope she does win, she probably won't…..the frogs will chicken out in the end….like the dutch.

[blazes]

I'd love to see le Pen and Merkel go t!t to t!t (oops, sorry, I meant head to head).

[sujoop]

"Russia is on a roll: Donald Trump is in the White House, the wheels of Brexit are in motion and the Kremlin’s Gallic target of affection — France’s Marine Le Pen — is riding high in the polls. “We’re on the verge of a new global order,” said Maria Katasonova, the public face of a Russian campaign to back the National Front leader"
http://www.politico.eu/article/russia-♥-marine-le-pen-national-front-vladimir-putin-kremlin-france-elections/

 

"FN received a €9 million (£7.7 million/$10.6 million) loan from the First Czech Russian Bank, a small bank with ties to the Kremlin. A  hacking group published emails that appear to show that Le Pen's party had received the loan as a payment for her pro-Russia stance during and after the Crimean annexation."
http://uk.businessinsider.com/jean-marine-le-pen-claimed-that-his-daughter-met-putin-prior-to-her-official-moscow-visit-2017-4

 

"Le Pen is clearly the favorite, having won Russian hearts and minds by saying EU sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict should be lifted and by publicly supporting the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula."
http://www.politico.eu/article/russia-♥-marine-le-pen-national-front-vladimir-putin-kremlin-france-elections/

 

Spout enough nationalist red-meat fervour to incite a base comprised of chest-thumping but in reality mostly fear-driven and under-educated voters to a slight electoral majority and presto, easy-peasy. Seen this movie before. Sure there's need to reform immigration and refugee admittance. There's also need to reform Brussels. But to in effect collapse the largest economic union in the West benefits only our most ambitious adversaries. Meanwhile, as both sides of the Atlantic rush headlong BACKWARDS to the 'greatness' of the 30's, Putin is snickering at how easy we're making all this,  thinking 'Spasibo, duraki'....

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2017 by sujoop

[pitrevie]

23 minutes ago, jonclark said:

Er yeah right.. huge numbers of British are very much in favour of the EU. So this idea that schengen and the Euro are hated by the British is a complete fabrication. 

 

Just a regurgitation of the facts as seen through the filter of the Daily Mail and Katie Hopkins. Hardly a true representation.

Well I  agree with you but we have one particular guy on this forum who goes off on a rant when either Schengen or Germany is mentioned. There must be those who either travel very little in Europe or enjoy giving a part of their hard earned cash to the banks and like passport queues every time they cross a border.

[yogi100]

17 minutes ago, jonclark said:

Er yeah right.. huge numbers of British are very much in favour of the EU. So this idea that schengen and the Euro are hated by the British is a complete fabrication. 

 

Just a regurgitation of the facts as seen through the filter of the Daily Mail and Katie Hopkins. Hardly a true representation.

 

But the referendum proved that even huger numbers of British are not in favour of the EU. It was mainly working people who voted out because of the levels of immigration that have been favoured by the Daily Mail's liberal chums in government and in the establishment. You may be confusing the opinions of its editorial staff with those of the general public who respond to its more controversial articles in the comments sections.

[elgordo38]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Promising to immediately impose a moratorium on immigration, she said: "The French sometimes have fewer rights than foreigners - even illegal ones."

This I think is true. 

[Jingthing]

Hope France doesn't make the same dreadful mistake the U.K. and especially the U.S. made!

 

 

[JHolmesJr]

2 hours ago, sujoop said:

"Russia is on a roll: Donald Trump is in the White House, the wheels of Brexit are in motion and the Kremlin’s Gallic target of affection — France’s Marine Le Pen — is riding high in the polls. “We’re on the verge of a new global order,” said Maria Katasonova, the public face of a Russian campaign to back the National Front leader"
http://www.politico.eu/article/russia-♥-marine-le-pen-national-front-vladimir-putin-kremlin-france-elections/

 

"FN received a €9 million (£7.7 million/$10.6 million) loan from the First Czech Russian Bank, a small bank with ties to the Kremlin. A  hacking group published emails that appear to show that Le Pen's party had received the loan as a payment for her pro-Russia stance during and after the Crimean annexation."
http://uk.businessinsider.com/jean-marine-le-pen-claimed-that-his-daughter-met-putin-prior-to-her-official-moscow-visit-2017-4

 

"Le Pen is clearly the favorite, having won Russian hearts and minds by saying EU sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict should be lifted and by publicly supporting the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula."
http://www.politico.eu/article/russia-♥-marine-le-pen-national-front-vladimir-putin-kremlin-france-elections/

 

Spout enough nationalist red-meat fervour to incite a base comprised of chest-thumping but in reality mostly fear-driven and under-educated voters to a slight electoral majority and presto, easy-peasy. Seen this movie before. Sure there's need to reform immigration and refugee admittance. There's also need to reform Brussels. But to in effect collapse the largest economic union in the West benefits only our most ambitious adversaries. Meanwhile, as both sides of the Atlantic rush headlong BACKWARDS to the 'greatness' of the 30's, Putin is snickering at how easy we're making all this,  thinking 'Spasibo, duraki'....

 

 

 

 

 

you're my second favourite cut and paste, and internet links guy…the first was publicus (now MIA)

 

Le Pen has addressed this many times…..thanks to unscrupulous politicians she is competing against, they have managed to cut off any and all support to her from french banks….she needs to finance her campaign and the banks don't lend her money….so she takes loans from russian banks….it's just bidness, yo!

[chilli42]

It never ceases to amaze me to see what people are willing to give up when they are fearful.  If she can keep the the fear and xenophobia leaves high and combine that with communication a 5 year old can understand she has a good shot at winning.  Her father was barking mad ... I suspect this coconut has not fallen too far from that tree.

[boomerangutang]

                  It looks as tho elections in the US and France are majorly influenced by teenage boys parked at computers in Russia, Macedonia and who knows where else in the former East Bloc.   

 

                       Here's part of what they do:   They notice when one of their targets is online.  For example, Trump is often online in early morning EST.   Then they bombard twitter with right-wing blurbs.  Trump may see one or more some which ring for him, and then he either re-tweets it, or uses it to write his own masterpiece.

 

                       Another similar thing political hackers do:   They trump-up a claim which they think will resonate with alt-right-wingers.   For example, during the election, they floated pizzagate and HRC is a lesbian, and Bill and Hillary keep sex slaves in the WH basement, and other such horseshit.  Trump and his fans latch on to such stories - the more absurd, the better.   And voila, a 16 year old Macedonian boy has another hack success which influences US or French or British elections.  

 

               Perhaps the influence is slight, but things add up.   My daughter is left of left wing (she volunteered for Sanders' campaign last year), yet she was spouting reams of alt-right anti-HRC horsecrap to me.  Apparently she believed it.  So it's not only alt-right morons who lap it all up.

[Scott]

A post with foreign script has been removed along with reply.   English only on this portion of the forum.  

[hgma]

20 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Here's hoping ! This is your moment France. If you do not do it now you never will, as you will be too full of foreigners in the coming years. 

France together with a few other EU nation, Holland -England-Spain and Portugal, have a history of brutality in the resume, causing flooding and  disproportional immigrant population in France.

What happens now is just a correction of the unpunished crimes these countries have committed in the past.

Live up with it!

 

[boomerangutang]

3 hours ago, hgma said:

France together with a few other EU nation, Holland -England-Spain and Portugal, have a history of brutality in the resume, causing flooding and  disproportional immigrant population in France.

What happens now is just a correction of the unpunished crimes these countries have committed in the past.   Live up with it! 

                   I'm not sure if I fully understand your post.  It sounds as tho you're saying that European countries' imperialist actions in the far past are somehow the cause of massive migrations from some African and M.Eastern regions.   Perhaps that's partly true.   Yet, imperialism had many facets.   For starters, countries have always attacked their neighbors, for millenia.  Slavery and all the other acoutrements of war have always been factors.  Just take W.Africa or M.East for examples, back and forth conquests have been a way of life and death since cheetahs roamed free.

 

                  On the other side of the coin, European imperialism in Africa and elsewhere can be said to have had some positive influences.   postal services, justice systems, schools, transport, technology, democracy are just some of the influences which have helped bring those regions forward - tho it's debatable; what constitutes 'progress'.  

 

                    Contrarily, there are times when groups of people choose to go in other directions.  For example:  The hippie 'back to the land' movement in the US during the 1960's through the 90's (and still happening) is seeing millions of mostly-younger people turning their backs on the traditional 'American Dream' of nice house, new car, stable job, etc.   .....and instead getting off the electric grid, growing some of their own food, not buying into insurance, hospitals, Wall Street, etc, to various degrees.    Ok, I'm rambling.  Sorry.