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WORLD NEWS Thursday 4 May 2017

Le Pen and Macron come out swinging in high-stakes TV debate

JOHN LEICESTER respective proposals for
Associated Press tackling its ills. He scoffed
PARIS (AP) — In a heated, at her monetary plans, say-
high-pressure primetime ing reintroducing a franc
TV debate, French presi- for purchases within France
dential candidate Em- but allowing big firms to
manuel Macron warned continue using the shared
of “civil war” if his far-right euro currency that Le Pen
opponent Marine Le Pen wants to abandon made
is elected, saying Wednes- no sense.
day that her hard-line plans She dismissed his economic
to combat Islamic radicals proposals with sweeping
would play into their hands. critiques and bristled at his
The barbed exchange over suggestions that she didn’t
France’s fight against ter- understand how finance
rorism characterized the and business works.
ill-tempered tone of the “You’re trying to play with
debate. Both candidates me like a professor with a
sought to land damaging pupil,” she said.
blows, in a clash of styles, They also clashed over for-
politics and personalities eign policy, with Le Pen
that highlighted their polar- saying that Macron would
opposite visions and plans be in the pocket of Ger-
for France. French presidential election candidate for the far-right Front National party, Marine Le Pen, left, man Chancellor Angela
Le Pen painted the former and French presidential election candidate for the En Marche ! movement, Emmanuel Macron, Merkel.
banker and economy min- pose prior to the start of a live broadcast face-to-face televised debate in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, “Either way France will be
north of Paris, France, Wednesday, May 3, 2017 as part of the second round election campaign.
ister as a servant of big busi- Pro-European progressive Emmanuel Macron and far-right Marine Le Pen are facing off in their led by a woman; either me
ness and finance, and de- only direct debate before Sunday’s presidential runoff election. or Madame Merkel,” she
clared herself “the candi- (Eric Feferberg/Pool Photo via AP) said derisively.
date of the people, of the would play into the hands the campaign. He called anti-EU Le Pen. The debate offered risk
France that we love.” and reward for both. A
Saying that Islamic extrem- of the extremists and divide her “the high priestess of She had piles of notes in major trip-up or meltdown
France, adding that this is fear.” “You lie all the time,” colored folders on her side
ists must be “eradicated” beamed direct into the
in the wake of repeated “what the terrorists expect. he said. “You propose of the table, and referred homes of millions of electors
to them occasionally. His
It’s civil war, it’s division, it’s nothing.”
attacks since 2015, Le Pen could dent their presiden-
charged that Macron heinous speech.” Sitting opposite one an- side of the table was spars- tial ambitions in the clos-
He painted the far-right na-
other at a round table, the er, with just a few sheets of
wouldn’t be up to the task. ing stages of the intense,
“You won’t do that,” she tionalist as an empty shell, debate quickly became paper. He at times rested suspenseful campaign
a shouting match, with no his chin on his hands as she
shaky on details and seek-
charged. that has, already, steered
Macron countered that ing to profit politically from common ground between spoke. France into uncharted ter-
the anger of French voters the pro-European Union They clashed over France’s
Le Pen’s anti-terror plans ritory. q
— a dominant theme of centrist candidate and the finances, its future and their
German defense minister under fire over far-right soldier
FRANK JORDANS 28-year-old lieutenant was superiors to play down the a view to other incidents in some 178,000 active duty
Associated Press stationed as part of a Fran- initial concerns, given that recent weeks where peo- personnel.
BERLIN (AP) — The arrest co-German brigade until his thesis contained views ple were bullied, where A. came to the attention of
of a German army officer his arrest last week. that were “clearly racist they were denigrated, authorities after he was ar-
suspected of plotting a far- Prosecutors say the man, and far-right extremist” in which won’t be tolerated rested in February for hiding
right attack is putting fresh identified only as Franco nature. under any circumstances,” a pistol in a Vienna airport
pressure on the country’s A. due to German privacy She planned to meet Thurs- said von der Leyen. bathroom. He was freed,
defense minister, already laws, allegedly planned day with the heads of Ger- She said she wasn’t ruling but Austrian authorities in-
under fire over a series of to carry out an attack. He many’s armed forces to out dismissals. formed Germany, and a
abuse cases within Germa- had previously come to the discuss the officer’s case as The allegations involving fingerprint match showed
ny’s armed forces. attention of superiors for ex- well as separate investiga- the army lieutenant is one he had managed to regis-
Canceling a planned trip pressing far-right views in a tions of alleged hazing and of 280 instances of suspect- ter as a refugee and claim
to the United States, Ursula 2014 dissertation written as sexual abuse within the mili- ed far-right extremism be- financial aid.
von der Leyen dashed to part of his officer’s training, tary stretching back several ing investigated by Germa- Investigators suspect he
the French town of Illkirch but was let off with a warn- years.“We need to have a ny’s military intelligence, was planning an attack
on Wednesday to visit ing. Von der Leyen said it no-holds-barred investiga- officials said. The Germany that he may have wanted
the barracks where the had been a mistake for A.’s tion, and I say this also with military, or Bundeswehr, has to blame on foreigners. q