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French presidential candidate of the National Front Party, 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.
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.
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"
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"
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.
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.
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"
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"