Above, French presidential frontrunner Emmanuel Macron meets with representatives of workers from a Whirlpool domestic appliance factory in Amiens, northwest of Paris, that is threatened with outsourcing. Amiens is a typical stronghold for for his rival, Marine Le Pen.
Le Pen herself ambushed her rival Macron in Amiens making a surprise visit to the factory while Macron met with union representatives at a local chamber of commerce.
"When I heard that Emmanuel Macron was coming here and did not plan to meet the workers, did not plan to come to the picket line but would shelter himself who knows where in the chamber of commerce ... I considered it was such a sign of contempt for the Whirlpool workers that I decided to ... come here and see you," Le Pen said, according to reporting from Deutsche Welle.
Le Pen wrote on Twitter: "In Amiens where I went to meet and support Whirlpool employees. With me, your factory won't close!"
À #Amiens où je suis allée rencontrer et soutenir les salariés de #Whirlpool. Avec moi, leur usine ne fermera pas ! pic.twitter.com/6529H1y1HP
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) April 26, 2017
Macron fired back, saying Le Pen had only spent 10 minutes in front of camera in the parking lot, while he spent more than an hour with trade unions.
MLP=10 min avec ses adhérents sur un parking devant caméras ; moi=1h15 de travail avec les syndicats sans presse. Le 7/05, chacun choisira. pic.twitter.com/VgOd3mdltJ
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 26, 2017
BBC reports that: French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron has been heckled by factory workers in Amiens after a visit by his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen.
Ms Le Pen upstaged her centrist rival earlier by turning up to speak to the workers as he met their union representatives a few miles away.
The event reported by the BBC can be seen in the below video:
