{"text":[[{"start":9.81,"text":"French far-right leader Marine Le Pen launched her presidential campaign, presenting herself as the only contender capable of restoring order and unity to a country she described as wracked by unrest and decline. "}],[{"start":21.520000000000003,"text":"Addressing a campaign rally in Orléans on Sunday, the frontrunner in next April’s ballot struck a markedly optimistic tone, vowing to restore France to its former glory. "},{"start":30.962000000000003,"text":"The Rassemblement National leader only obliquely addressed the protests on October 17 that spiralled into violence and looting and left the government reeling. "}],[{"start":39.14,"text":"“Even if the words that come to mind today are ‘ruin’, ‘decline’, ‘erasure’, ‘riots’ and even ‘chaos’, ‘decay’ and ‘disappearance’, we believe in humanity, in our people, in France and therefore in the future — a future we must reclaim for our children,” she said at the event attended by some 8,500 activists. "}],[{"start":57.09,"text":"“We must regain confidence in ourselves, in our ability to confront and tame the torrent of events bearing down on us. ”"}],[{"start":64.1,"text":"Le Pen made her pitch as France’s government and its embattled president Emmanuel Macron struggle to contain multiple crises, including a stuttering economy, a bond market sell-off of French debt and weeks of street protest. "}],[{"start":76.48,"text":"High school students initiated the movement in September to denounce poor education conditions, but protests have since morphed into a broader expression of discontent over high living costs and against Macron himself. "}],[{"start":88.17,"text":"Adding to the state of high tension gripping the country, a gunman on Friday killed a man and injured five others near Paris in what Macron said was a racially motivated attack and the mayor said had targeted Muslim and Black people. "}],[{"start":100.36,"text":"Security officials this weekend breathed a sigh of relief after France avoided a repeat of the large-scale violence and looting that shocked the country a week ago. "},{"start":108.702,"text":"The government deployed a much larger police force on Saturday after admitting it had botched its handling of protests on October 17. "}],[{"start":116.46000000000001,"text":"An update by the interior ministry on Sunday morning found that 1,314 arrests had taken place, compared with 2,628 on 17 October. "},{"start":126.41400000000002,"text":"Fifty-three members of security services were injured, compared with 1,144 the previous week. "}],[{"start":133.74,"text":"In Orléans, the RN’s two-day event was held amid high security imposed by local authorities, which included the closure of all businesses and suspension of public transport, in an effort to prevent counter-protests from clashing with attendees. "}],[{"start":147.42000000000002,"text":"Leftwing activist groups and labour unions held a peaceful march in the city on Saturday to denounce what they called the RN’s xenophobia and divisiveness. "},{"start":155.63700000000003,"text":"A police deployment of 3,000 officers and the lockdown prevented any problems. "}],[{"start":160.91000000000003,"text":"The rally was briefly interrupted by protesters from the Jewish Students Union of France. "},{"start":165.67700000000002,"text":"The activists said they “came to remind attendees of this party’s antisemitism and racism by unfurling a banner”. "},{"start":171.61900000000003,"text":"They were ejected by security guards. "}],[{"start":174.28000000000003,"text":"The choice of Orléans, the city where Joan of Arc helped defeat the English in 1429, was not accidental. "},{"start":180.82200000000003,"text":"The Le Pen family, which has led the French far right since the 1970s, has made the saint a central figure in the party’s mythology, celebrating her annually as an emblem of patriotism and national sovereignty. "}],[{"start":192.92000000000002,"text":"Le Pen placed herself in that tradition. "},{"start":195.49900000000002,"text":"“In this city, which endured hardship, fear and siege, history teaches us a lesson that echoes across the centuries: no defeat is final as long as a people refuses to accept it,” she said. "}],[{"start":206.53000000000003,"text":"“France has always risen again because there have always been French men and women willing to pick up the fallen flag and dare to raise it high. ”"}],[{"start":214.01000000000002,"text":"Le Pen is in a commanding position with polls showing she would win about 32 to 34 per cent of first-round votes, according to an Ipsos-BVA poll this week. "},{"start":223.002,"text":"Although polls for the run-off are not reliable six months before the vote, Le Pen is shown winning in all hypothetical scenarios. "}],[{"start":230.47000000000003,"text":"The election of such a Eurosceptic populist leader to the presidency of the Eurozone’s second-largest economy would be an earthquake for the EU. "},{"start":237.87400000000002,"text":"Le Pen no longer calls for France to leave the EU, but she has vowed to battle its leadership and institutions. "}],[{"start":244.75000000000003,"text":"Qualification for the second round remains wide open. "},{"start":248.11700000000002,"text":"Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon is within striking distance with 17 per cent, while rightwing former prime minister Édouard Philippe is on 13 to 15 per cent and moderate leftist Raphaël Glucksmann is on 13 to 16 per cent. "}],[{"start":261.22,"text":"Le Pen cast herself and the RN as having already “won the battle” over diagnosing France’s problems. "},{"start":266.937,"text":"She sought to dispel the idea that her ascension to the Élysée Palace would lead to unrest and protests, something the left led by Mélenchon has long prophesied. "}],[{"start":276.26000000000005,"text":"“Our desire to unite the French people leads us to this,” she said. "},{"start":280.189,"text":"“Every citizen, with their diverse backgrounds, talents and outlooks, is called upon to take part in the movement for France’s renewal that I am proposing to the nation. ”"}],[{"start":289.53000000000003,"text":"Additional reporting by Ian Johnston "}],[{"start":291.96000000000004,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1792984447_3960.mp3"}