Macron heckled by pro-Le Pen factory workers

French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron was on Wednesday heckled by factory workers in Amiens city after a visit by his far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

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, BBC reported.

Macron, who is far ahead in opinion polls, is in Amiens, his home town, amid accusations of complacency. He got another boost when former President Nicolas Sarkozy endorsed him.

Opinion polls taken since the first round on Sunday suggest that Macron, candidate of the En Marche (On The Move) movement, will easily beat Le Pen, who temporarily resigned as leader of the National Front (FN) party.

Macron earlier saw union delegates at the local chamber of commerce, with TV pictures showing them in discussion in a grey meeting room.

Meanwhile, Le Pen was having selfies taken with workers outside a factory a few miles away.

Macron took to Twitter (in French) and said, "MLP [Marine Le Pen] 10 minutes with her followers in a car park in front of the cameras; me one hour and 15 minutes of work with the unions and no media. Each will choose on 7 May."

When he visited the factory, surrounded by journalists, he was booed and whistled.

"There is no work!" a woman shouted repeatedly as he sought to address the workers.

--IANS

soni/vt