France's whirlwind legislative election campaign has been marred by assault and verbal attacks, with the interior minister reporting Friday that 51 candidates or political activists had been attacked during the campaign. The final round of the crucial snap vote will take place on July 7.
More than 50 politicians and campaigners have been assaulted during the French election campaign, the interior minister said Friday, as tension mounts ahead of this weekend's runoff vote.
"This campaign is short and yet we already have 51 candidates, substitutes and activists who have been physically assaulted," Gérald Darmanin told BFMTV.
More than 30 people have been arrested, he said.
Last month, President Emmanuel Macron made the gamble of calling parliamentary elections just weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics, after the far right trounced his centrist alliance in European elections.
Darmanin said 30,000 police would be deployed on Sunday to secure the vote, including 5,000 in Paris and its suburbs.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
