The National Front’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is trying to pick off supporters of François Fillon — the center-right Republican candidate who came up short in the first round of the French elections — in hopes of of pulling off an upset and defeating her opponent, centrist Emmanuel Macron, in this weekend’s runoff. But her strategy to peel away Fillon fans has run into quite the hiccup: She’s now been accused of plagiarizing whole excerpts from a recent Fillon speech.

Fillon gave his speech on April 15, shortly before the first round of the elections. Le Pen delivered her version in Paris on May 1. The similarities are pretty striking. Le Pen mentions France’s “three maritime borders,” a phrase lifted almost exactly from Fillon’s earlier speech. Le Pen also recited a quote from World War I French prime minister Georges Clemenceau; Fillon used the identical phrase in his address. They both mentioned “waiting lists” to learn French in international places such as Shanghai, Tokyo, Mexico, Rabat, and Rome. A pro-Fillon organization created this side-by-side comparison:

Le Pen’s supporters have already spun her plagiarism as something of an ode to Fillon, and a sign that Le Pen has much in common with the conservative (and Establishment) candidate. One National Front official called it a “wink” to Fillon’s backers. The National Front’s secretary general, Nicolas Bay, called it a “small loan.”

“It shows that Marine Le Pen is not sectarian,” Bay explained, “and that when one of her opponents, in this case from the first round, speaks well about France, she can borrow his comments.”

Another report had suggested that French writer and politician Paul-Marie Coûteaux had given notes to both Fillon and Le Pen, and this accounted for the similarities. However, Coûteaux later admitted that he had given Fillon notes for that April 15 speech, but had not done so for Le Pen — though both echoed themes in his 1997 book Europe’s Road to War. As a Le Pen supporter, he added, that he wasn’t “displeased” she had recycled his words.

All that’s missing is a My Little Pony excuse, but it’s still unclear whether these other explanations and reverse psychology will get by voters. Le Pen is trailing Macron by between 15 and 20 points in the polls ahead of Sunday’s vote. She has tried to put some distance between herself and the far-right, anti-immigrant platform of the National Front by stepping down as party leader to focus on her presidential campaign. Le Pen had also hoped to attract some far-left supporters of another anti-Establishment candidate, Jean-Luc Melenchon. But Melenchon, who came in fourth place in the runoff, told his backers a vote for Le Pen and the National Front would “be pushing the country toward a general blaze.” So instead Le Pen is — and this may sound familiar — banking on disaffected Melenchon voters abstaining or throwing away their votes rather than supporting Macron.

But Le Pen would still need to attract those Fillon voters to have a chance. Fillon was once the likely winner of the French presidency, until his campaign was sidelined by a public-corruption scandal. He took a tough line on the European Union and immigration while skirting Le Pen’s more hard-line stances. But, as a former spokesman for Fillon told reporters, Fillon’s voters likely won’t be fooled by Le Pen. “They won’t be bought because one copies parts of their candidate’s speech,” he said.</s>PARIS, May 2 (Reuters) - French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen came under fire on social media on Tuesday for lifting sections of a speech from a conservative rival, in what Le Pen aides said was a "nod-and-a-wink" to his voters.

Although the speech caused an online sensation over plagiarism, it appeared to be an attempt by Le Pen to reach out to supporters of Francois Fillon, who was knocked out in the April 23 first round of voting after coming third with 20 percent of the vote.

Polls show Le Pen lagging centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron by around 20 points before next Sunday's runoff and she needs to broaden her base to stand a chance of winning. Fillon has urged voters to back Macron.

In one part of her May 1 speech, lasting about 50 seconds, Le Pen talked about people learning French in Argentina and Poland, and on waiting lists to study at the Alliance Francaise official French schools abroad, in a word-per-word lifting of a mid-April speech by Fillon.

Le Pen added to Fillon's comment that this showed France is more than a military and industrial power, that France "must and can" become a big power again.

It was the second most trending topic on Twitter in France, with the hashtag #plagiat -- plagiarism in French.

One Twitter user, @RidiculeTV, posted both excerpts together on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RidiculeTV/status/859099588002811908

The incident had echoes of an incident during last year U.S. election when a writer for then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign apologised for a speech by Trump's wife Melania that drew accusations of plagiarism.

The National Front (FN) candidate's team was unrepentant, however. Florian Philippot, an FN deputy leader, said the party "completely owned up" to the fact that the speech resembled one by Fillon.

Le Pen also described France's borders and ties with "Italy, our sister" - again a phrase used in Fillon's April 15 speech, and used the same quote from early 20th century French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau.

In another excerpt about prospects of cooperation with France's neighbours, where the words were again the same as in Fillon's speech, Le Pen added that this would require France not being "a vassal" of Germany.

French newspapers and social media highlighted the similarities, but Le Pen aides brushed off the criticism.

Philippot told Radio Classique that Le Pen's speech was a "nod-and-a-wink" to Fillon's speech in order to "launch a real debate" about French identity.

Le Pen's campaign manager David Rachline also played down plagiarism accusations, painting her speech as a form of tribute to Fillon. The reference "was appreciated, including by all of Mr. Fillon's supporters," Rachline told France 2 television.

There was no immediate comment from Fillon.

Separately, several French business leaders, writing in French business daily Les Echos, warned against what Veolia chief Antoine Frerot called the "catastrophe for French businesses and people" of Le Pen's favoured scrapping of the euro currency and other parts of the FN manifesto.

The latest Ipsos Sopra Steria poll on Tuesday showed Macron winning 60 percent of second-round votes to Le Pen's 40 percent.</s>PARIS
• French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen used chunks of a speech by defeated centre- right nominee Francois Fillon, word for word, during a rally, in what her campaign said was an attempt to woo the former prime minister's voters.

The plagiarism, which set off a flurry of comments on media and social platforms yesterday, appears to have first been noticed by Ridicule TV, a pro-Fillon channel broadcast through Facebook and Twitter.

At a rally on Monday in Paris, Ms Le Pen went off on an ode to France's geography, and how it links the country to cultures from around the world from "the immense Hispanic and Latin world" to "Italy our sister", and then boasted about how people from Mexico to Shanghai seek to learn French.

But it was quickly pointed out that the passage was identical to a Fillon speech made on April 15 in central France.

Ms Le Pen's campaign manager called it a "wink" to Mr Fillon's supporters.

"There were some interesting elements," Mr David Rachline said on France 2 television. "I think this little wink was appreciated, including by supporters of Mr Fillon."

Mr Fillon took 19.9 per cent in the first round and both Ms Le Pen and Mr Emmanuel Macron, her rival in the May 7 run-off, have sought to win over his disappointed voters.</s>PARIS (Reuters): French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen came under fire on social media on Tuesday for lifting sections of a speech from a conservative rival, in what Le Pen aides said was a "nod-and-a-wink" to his voters.

Although the speech caused an online sensation over plagiarism, it appeared to be an attempt by Le Pen to reach out to supporters of Francois Fillon, who was knocked out in the April 23 first round of voting after coming third with 20 percent of the vote.

Polls show Le Pen lagging centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron by around 20 points before next Sunday's runoff and she needs to broaden her base to stand a chance of winning. Fillon has urged voters to back Macron.

In one part of her May 1 speech, lasting about 50 seconds, Le Pen talked about people learning French in Argentina and Poland, and on waiting lists to study at the Alliance Francaise official French schools abroad, in a word-per-word lifting of a mid-April speech by Fillon.

Le Pen added to Fillon's comment that this showed France is more than a military and industrial power, that France "must and can" become a big power again.

It was the second most trending topic on Twitter in France, with the hashtag #plagiat -- plagiarism in French.

One Twitter user, @RidiculeTV, posted both excerpts together on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RidiculeTV/status/859099588002811908

The incident had echoes of an incident during last year U.S. election when a writer for then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign apologised for a speech by Trump's wife Melania that drew accusations of plagiarism.

The National Front (FN) candidate's team was unrepentant, however. Florian Philippot, an FN deputy leader, said the party "completely owned up" to the fact that the speech resembled one by Fillon.

Le Pen also described France's borders and ties with "Italy, our sister" - again a phrase used in Fillon's April 15 speech, and used the same quote from early 20th century French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau.

In another excerpt about prospects of cooperation with France's neighbours, where the words were again the same as in Fillon's speech, Le Pen added that this would require France not being "a vassal" of Germany.

French newspapers and social media highlighted the similarities, but Le Pen aides brushed off the criticism.

Philippot told Radio Classique that Le Pen's speech was a "nod-and-a-wink" to Fillon's speech in order to "launch a real debate" about French identity.

Le Pen's campaign manager David Rachline also played down plagiarism accusations, painting her speech as a form of tribute to Fillon. The reference "was appreciated, including by all of Mr. Fillon's supporters," Rachline told France 2 television.

There was no immediate comment from Fillon.

Separately, several French business leaders, writing in French business daily Les Echos, warned against what Veolia chief Antoine Frerot called the "catastrophe for French businesses and people" of Le Pen's favoured scrapping of the euro currency and other parts of the FN manifesto.

The latest Ipsos Sopra Steria poll on Tuesday showed Macron winning 60 percent of second-round votes to Le Pen's 40 percent.</s>The subject is at the heart of Le Pen’s campaign. She promises to pull France out of the European Union and return to the franc currency, and has denounced globalization’s effects on the French economy and culture.

Francois Fillon, the former Republicans candidate, first delivered the speech on France’s role in Europe and the world on April 15 — just two weeks before Le Pen’s discourse on Monday.

PARIS—Marine Le Pen deliberately plagiarized verbatim parts of an address from a former presidential candidate, as a “wink” to him and the voters she hopes to peel away in a runoff, her spokesmen said Tuesday.

Three separate spokesmen for Le Pen used the word “wink” to describe the extracts copied word for word from Fillon. At no point in the speech did she cite Fillon or acknowledge the source of the extracts.

“I think with part of the right, we have exactly the same vision on the national identity and independence,” Louis Aliot, Front National vice-president, told LCI television Tuesday.

Immediately after being eliminated in the first-round vote, Fillon called for his supporters to back her centrist rival, Emmanuel Macron.

Both Macron and Le Pen are going after the voters of the 9 other candidates knocked out in that vote, in which France’s two main parties both failed to make it to the second round for the first time in the country’s modern history.

Macron is promising an ethics bill that will block office-holders from conflicts of interest, nepotism and other ethical issues that have infuriated voters.

Macron, who started his own political movement just a year ago, also promised he could get a legislative majority to pass the measure and others he says France needs to pull itself from the economic doldrums.

Legislative elections are in June, and whoever is president will depend on lawmakers to implement an agenda. Macron, who has pulled support from the right and the left, said Tuesday candidates will have to quit their parties to run in his movement.</s>PARIS (Reuters) - Far-right presidential challenger Marine Le Pen refused to rule out capital controls if she won the election and there was a run on banks as she negotiated France's exit from the European Union, but stressed they were unlikely to be needed.

In an interview with Reuters ahead of Sunday's decisive second round, Le Pen reaffirmed she wanted to take France out of the euroand said she hoped the French people would have a national currency in their pockets within two years.

Le Pen said she wanted to replace the EU single currency with another, looser type of cooperation in the form of the ECU basket of currencies that preceded the euro. That would exist alongside a national currency.

"The objective is to transform the euro 'single currency' into a euro 'common currency', going back to the ancestor of the euro, the ECU, which was an accounting unit that did not stop each country from having each its own currency," Le Pen said.

Calling the euro a deadweight on the French economy, the National Front candidate said a new national currency would better protect French people's savings. She accused the "establishment" of wanting to "frighten" voters into thinking otherwise.

"I am convinced there won't be any banking crisis," Le Pen said when asked if French negotiations to quit the EU could trigger a run on French banks.

Asked if she would impose capital controls if savers nevertheless did rush to take their money out of banks, she said: "If there's a run on banks, we could very well imagine such a solution for a few days, but I'm telling you it won't happen."

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2017. Follow Reuters on Twitter.</s>PARIS (Reuters) - Aides of French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Tuesday brushed off criticism of her use of phrases lifted straight from a speech by conservative rival Francois Fillon in her May Day address to supporters.

Florian Philippot, deputy leader of Le Pen's anti-European Union, National Front (FN) party, said the party "completely owned up" to the fact that the speech resembled one by Fillon a month ago - similarities that were mocked by her opponents on social media overnight.

Philippot told Radio Classique that Le Pen's speech was a "nod-and-a-wink" to Fillon's earlier discourse in order to "launch a real debate" concerning French identity.

French newspapers and media all highlighted the similarities between Le Pen's speech at her rally on May 1 and one by Fillon given on April 15 before he was knocked out of the presidential contest.

In a speech to her supporters at a rally north of Paris on Monday, Le Pen - who faces centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron in a final, run-off vote on May 7 - spoke of France's long and proud history and the country's roots in western Europe.

Le Pen mentioned France's "three maritime borders" with the English Channel, North Sea and the Atlantic. That same phrase of France's "three maritime borders" with the English Channel, North Sea and the Atlantic was also used by Fillon on April 15.

Le Pen also described France's borders and ties with "Italy, our sister" - again a phrase used in Fillon's April 15 speech.

Le Pen also evoked a quote from early 20th century French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau which had Clemenceau stating: "Once a soldier of God, and now a soldier of Liberty, France will always be the soldier of the ideal."

That Clemenceau quotation was also used, word-for-word, by Fillon at his April 15 rally.

Le Pen's campaign manager David Rachline also played down plagiarism accusations, painting her speech as a form of tribute to Fillon.

The reference "was appreciated, including by all of Mr Fillon's supporters," Rachline told France 2 television.

Current opinion polls predict that Macron will beat Le Pen on May 7, with Macron seen getting about 60 percent of the votes.

Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon and Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon also failed to get through to the final, second round vote.

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2017. Follow Reuters on Twitter.</s>The Front National candidate is trying to woo Mr Fillon’s Republican voters to clinch critical votes in the election run-off on Sunday between Ms Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Ms Le Pen stood aside as leader of the Front National in a bid to lure a broader spectrum of potential voters. But as she tried to align herself to a more mass audience at yesterday’s rally in Villepinte in Paris, she allegedly used part of Mr Fillon’s speech he made to his supporters on April 15.

Ms Le Pen repeated Mr Fillon’s rhetoric regarding the geography of France’s borders, paying tribute to the French language and spoke of the French way in the 21st century. After the far-right candidate made the comments, a Twitter video was shared showing the similarities between the two speeches. Twitter user Taniel said: “Watch this, even if you don’t speak French: Le Pen plagiarising verbatim a mid-April speech from Francois Fillon.”

Ms Le Pen copied the defeated candidate’s words at her final rally speech on Monday in Villepinte in Paris. The deputy chairman of Ms Le Pen’s party said it was “a nod to a short passage in a speech about France”. Ms Le Pen’s campaign manager, David Rachline, said that the candidate’s copying was simply a tribute to Mr Fillon.

Mr Fillon was knocked out in the first round of the election following a scandal involving paying his wife for doing a parliamentary job she allegedly did not do. The former French Prime Minister has called for his supporters to vote for Emmanuel Macron. However, Axelle Lemaire, a French Socialist politician, suggested Mr Fillon’s voters were likely to turn to Ms Le Pen in the second round of voting.</s>French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen used chunks of a speech by defeated center-right nominee Francois Fillon, word-for-word, during a rally, in what her campaign said was an attempt to lure the former prime minister’s voters.

The plagiarism, which set off a flurry of comments on media and social platforms Tuesday, appears to have first been noticed by Ridicule TV, a pro-Fillon channel broadcast through Facebook and Twitter.

At a rally Monday in Paris, Le Pen went off on an ode to France’s geography, and how it links the country to cultures from around the world from “the immense Hispanic and Latin world” to “Italy our sister,” and then boasted about how people from Mexico to Shanghai seek to learn French. But it was quickly pointed out that the passage was identical to a Fillon speech made on April 15 in central France.

Le Pen’s campaign manager called it a “wink” to Fillon’s supporters.

“There were some interesting elements,” David Rachline said on France 2 television. “I think this little wink was appreciated, including by supporters of Mr. Fillon.”

Fillon took 19.9 percent in the first round and both Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, her rival in May 7 runoff, have sought to win over his disappointed voters.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption France election: Le Pen accused of copycat speech

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has been accused of plagiarising defeated rival François Fillon in a speech she delivered on Monday.

Several sections of her speech in Villepinte, north of Paris, appear to repeat almost word-for-word comments Mr Fillon made in an address on 15 April.

An official of her National Front party said she had made a "nod" to Mr Fillon and it showed she was "not sectarian".

Ms Le Pen faces centrist Emmanuel Macron in the final round on Sunday.

The similarity in the speeches was pointed out by the Ridicule TV YouTube channel, initially set up by François Fillon's supporters to attack Mr Macron before the first round of voting that saw Mr Fillon eliminated from the contest.

Ridicule TV said the far right presidential candidate had plagiarised Mr Fillon's speech "word for word" and set the two speeches side by side, inviting viewers to make up their own minds.

The videos were also posted on Twitter.

Several passages imitated Mr Fillon's address word-for-word:

In Mr Fillon 's speech, he made specific reference to France's geography and neighbours. He called the Rhine border with Germany "the most open, the most dangerous, the most promising" but mentioned "a Germanic world we have been so often in conflict with and with which we will yet co-operate in so many ways"

's speech, he made specific reference to France's geography and neighbours. He called the Rhine border with Germany "the most open, the most dangerous, the most promising" but mentioned "a Germanic world we have been so often in conflict with and with which we will yet co-operate in so many ways" Ms Le Pen also called the same border "the most open and the most promising" and also mentioned "a Germanic world we will yet co-operate with in so many ways, as long as we regain the relationship of allies and not of subjects"

also called the same border "the most open and the most promising" and also mentioned "a Germanic world we will yet co-operate with in so many ways, as long as we regain the relationship of allies and not of subjects" Both speeches spoke of waiting lists to learn French in Shanghai, Tokyo, Mexico, Rabat and Rome

Both speeches used the same quotation from World War One PM Georges Clemenceau

At times, the words were almost exactly the same. Mr Fillon said: "France is a history, it is a geography, but it is also a set of values ​​and principles transmitted from generation to generation, as passwords. It is a singular voice addressed to all the peoples of the universe"

said: "France is a history, it is a geography, but it is also a set of values ​​and principles transmitted from generation to generation, as passwords. It is a singular voice addressed to all the peoples of the universe" Ms Le Pen echoed him with: "France is also a set of values and principles transmitted from generation to generation, as passwords. And then it is a voice, an extraordinary, singular voice that speaks to all the peoples of the universe"

The Liberation newspaper said that what was supposed to have been a key speech for the second phase of voting in the election became instead a focus of ridicule for social media users.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Marine Le Pen is trailing centrist Emmanuel Macron in opinion polls

But Florian Philippot, deputy chairman of the National Front, told Radio Classique the party had owned up to the similarities and that Ms Le Pen's speech was "nod-and-a-wink" to Mr Fillon's speech to "launch a real debate" on French identity.

He earlier told Agence France-Presse that the speech showed "she is not sectarian".

Read more about the French election:

Ms Le Pen's campaign manager, David Rachline, also played down the accusations of plagiarism, saying the speech was a form of tribute to Mr Fillon, which "was appreciated" by his supporters.

Please enable Javascript to view our poll of polls chart. About the polling average line The polling average line looks at the five most recent national polls and takes the median value, ie, the value between the two figures that are higher and two figures that are lower. See individual polls

RTL said there was a fairly simple explanation for the similarities, in that one of those who helped with the Le Pen speech, Paul-Marie Coûteaux, had written the speech for Mr Fillon.

However, Le journal du dimanche quoted Mr Coûteaux as saying that, although he had provided material for Mr Fillon, he had not done so for the National Front.

Echoes from the past: Other incidents of déjà-vu

Image copyright Getty Images

Donald Trump's wife, Melania, was accused of lifting a speech by Michelle Obama when addressing the Republican National Convention in July 2016. Mrs Trump's speechwriter later offered to quit, saying she felt "terrible"

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo addressed his country in his inauguration speech in January 2017, managing to echo not just one former US president, Bill Clinton, but his successor George W Bush as well

In 2003, the then Canadian opposition leader Stephen Harper showed a remarkably similar turn of phrase to the Australian PM John Howard in a speech on the Iraq war. It took a while to come to light but the speechwriter quit in 2008.

How politicians created a sense of déjà-vu

Mr Fillon was a leading candidate for the presidency, representing the establishment conservative Republicans, but his campaign foundered after a funding scandal and he did not get through the first round of voting.

Recent opinion polls suggest Mr Macron is heading for victory on Sunday, carrying around 60% of the vote.

In a speech on Monday he said he would fight "until the last second" against Ms Le Pen's ideas "of what constitutes democracy".

The two candidates will go head-to-head in a TV debate on Wednesday evening.
Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is accused of plagiarising a speech by François Fillon.