Far-right leader Le Pen kicks off presidency tilt in wake of France protests

ORLEANS, France (AFP) -- Marine Le Pen, France's far-right candidate to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in elections in six months, was to give her first campaign speech on Sunday, a day after protests sweeping the country again flared into violence. Le Pen -- the frontrunner according to surveys -- is seen to be benefiting in the polls from the convulsions France has been going through for weeks, punctuated by mass rallies and violent clashes on Saturday and a week earlier. More than 400,000 people marched in major French cities on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of living, with clashes erupting after groups of masked protesters broke away from the demonstrations. Police made more than 1,300 arrests and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez blamed much of the violence on "ultra-left" extremists. Similar nationwide protests a week earlier also descended into unrest, following four weeks of student demonstrations over the poor state of France's schools. Unions and Yellow Vest protesters have vowed to keep up their street marches in the weeks ahead, pointing to a febrile period as the elections draw near. - Anger at Macron - Le Pen, who will address 10,000 members of her National Rally (RN) party in the city of Orleans, has accused Macron's centrist government of being soft on violent protesters and lacking authority. Police were on Sunday filtering traffic going into Orleans, after thousands of counter-protesters opposed to Le Pen and her anti-immigration, nationalist RN marched in the city on Saturday chanting anti-fascist slogans. Police put their numbers at 13,000, while organisers estimated the turnout at twice that. One protester on Saturday, 35-year-old yoga teacher Antonine Rochet, said: "One of the risks of the National Rally coming to power, beyond the implementation of its policies, is the atmosphere it could create." "If the far right comes to power, we fear things will become much worse," she added. Another anti-fascist rally was called for Sunday on the southern outskirts of Orleans. If Le Pen wins the two-stage presidential elections in April and May, she has vowed to cut the cost of living through capped household energy bills, reduced taxes and trimming France's contribution to the European Union. She is also critical of NATO and of France's support of Ukraine against Russia's invasion. The RN has sought to reinforce its law-and-order credentials by backing police during the unrest. French voters, angry over Macron's perceived detachment over his two terms and his recent orders to curb the protests, are turning to more extremist politics, polling shows. An Ipsos survey published Saturday suggested Le Pen would win 32-34 percent of first-round votes. The poll also found widespread anger over the unrest, with a majority believing that the government bears responsibility for the crisis. - No money - Whoever wins the presidency will face limited room for additional spending, with France's debt and budget deficit already above EU limits and Macron's government struggling to push through a cost-cutting budget. As Macron enters the final months of his presidency, he faces pressure to restore order while maintaining dialogue with unions and student groups. Protesters and rights groups accuse the government of restricting the right to demonstrate, while unions and Yellow Vest activists are planning further action in the coming weeks. The Yellow Vest movement, which challenged Macron eight years ago with street disruptions, has called for another day of protests next Saturday. And the powerful CGT union, prominent in the demonstrations, is urging a campaign of strikes starting from November 5.