Far-right French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour has been attacked at his first campaign rally.
As
the 63-year-old moved through the crowd to the stage, a man briefly
grabbed him by the neck before security officers intervened.
Local media report his wrist was injured and that his doctors have ordered nine days of rest.
The former journalist and pundit is known for his controversial views on migrants and World War Two.
In
the past, the child of Jewish Algerian immigrants has claimed the
French state protected Jews during the conflict, when in reality the
collaborationist Vichy regime shipped thousands of French Jews to Nazi
death camps.
After
weeks of speculation Mr Zemmour announced his candidacy in the 2022
French presidential election on Tuesday. He is challenging far-right
figurehead Marine Le Pen for leadership of France's nationalist hard
right.
The
incident in which Mr Zemmour was attacked was one of several violent
clashes during the event, held at a convention centre north-east of the
capital Paris on Sunday night.
Some
10,000 people reportedly turned up for the rally. Thousands of
demonstrators against the far-right politician reportedly marched
through the city, with police arresting dozens outside the event.
Mr
Zemmour arrived at around 17:30 (16:30) local time and was attacked as
he made his way through the crowds. Police quickly removed the
individual.
A
spokesman for his newly-announced party told Le Figaro newspaper that
they were planning to file a legal complaint, and praised Mr Zemmour's
"courage".
The
candidate proceeded to deliver his speech after the incident. As he
began, his supporters threw chairs at demonstrators who stood up wearing
T-shirts bearing anti-racism slogans.
"If
I win this election, it won't be another rotation of power but a
reconquest of the greatest country in the world," he told the crowd
during a lengthy speech.
He
announced he had named his party Reconquest - a name Mr Zemmour said
harked back to the period of history known as the Reconquista, when
Christian armies drove Muslims from the Iberian peninsula.
The
far-right politician also railed against political elites and the
media. Several times the crowds booed members of the press gathered in
the arena.
"I
am the only one defending freedom of thought, freedom of speech," he
declared, dismissing allegations of fascism, racism and misogyny. In the
past Mr Zemmour has been convicted of hate speech.
French politicians are vying for the chance to face President Emmanuel Macron in next year's election.
Opinion
polls currently suggest the centrist Mr Macron is likely to retain
power, but analysts believe the outcome of the race is still uncertain.
The
centre-right Les Républicains party last week announced they had chosen
the moderate Valérie Pécresse as their 2022 candidate.
