In controversial remarks made on a political talk show, Mélenchon pointed to a pattern of violent incidents dominating headlines in the run-up to recent presidential contests

"You'll see, in the last weeks of the presidential campaign, we'll have a serious incident or a murder," the fiery head of the France Unbowed party warned, citing earlier examples

Mélenchon referred to the killing of a police officer on the Champs-Elysées just ahead of the 2017 election and Mohamed Merah's terrorist killing spree – including his attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse – before the 2012 vote

The hard-left leader also cited an attack against a retired man in his home in 2002 that stirred much public debate and was widely blamed for helping former far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen reach an unlikely presidential runoff that year
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Referring to Macron's surprise victory four years ago, he said: "In every country of the world, they've invented someone like him, who comes from nowhere and who's pushed by the oligarchy."