Siege of Le Pen: Protesters Blockade Presidential Hopeful Inside Reims Church

The surprise visit of French right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen to the French northeastern city of Reims on Friday was sabotaged by opposition supporters, who in an act of protest forcibly left the candidate confined within a local cathedral for about an hour.

PARIS (Sputnik) — On the last day of France's presidential campaign, Le Pen arrived in Reims in the Grand Est region, where she was met with strong opposition from the supporters of her political rivals. Followers of leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and independent Emmanuel Macron's En Marche! party are said to have shouted insults at Le Pen, who was accompanied by her ally Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, and blockaded her in the city's main cathedral.

According to the local newspaper L'Union L'Ardennais, the right-wing candidate had to leave the cathedral through the back door after being locked up for about an hour. Local police tried for several hours to clear the ground of the numerous protesters, many of whom are local students.

Florian Philippot, the vice president of the National Front party, formerly headed by Le Pen, was pushed by demonstrators into his car.

Ce moment où #LePen et #DupontAignan sont exfiltrés de la cathédrale de #Reims https://t.co/BP9VW4AE2x pic.twitter.com/lp7w6RJOK6

— FO Sanofi A. Groupe (@fo_sag) 5 мая 2017 г.

Le Pen and Macron will face each other on Sunday in the second round of the presidential race. According to the latest poll, Macron has the support of 61 percent of voters, with 39 percent ready to vote for Le Pen.

Accompagnée de @dupontaignan, je visitais ce matin la Cathédrale de #Reims où fut baptisée Clovis, Roi des Francs. pic.twitter.com/pKYEpEaVX0

— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) 5 мая 2017 г.