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After unexpected postponement, Fillon makes it to Paris farm show

Right-wing presidential candidate François Fillon visited the Paris agriculture show Wednesday afternoon. He was supposed to visit that morning, but postponed his visit to give a press conference at his campaign headquarters.

François Fillon at Paris agriculture show, March 1, 2017.
François Fillon at Paris agriculture show, March 1, 2017. AFP/Thomas Samson
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After abruptly cancelling his scheduled visit to the Paris agriculture show Wednesday morning, Fillon ultimately made it to the event later that afternoon.

Opposing chants of “Fillon president” and “Prison for Fillon” followed Fillon as he made his way around the livestock hall, according to BuzzFeed France.

The agriculture show has become an important campaign stop for French presidential candidates. Fillon’s rival, centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron, attended the show earlier in the day, while far-right candidate Marine Le Pen made an appearance the day before.

Fillon’s media back-and-forth

The right-wing candidate postponed his Wednesday morning visit so as to give a press conference at his campaign headquarters in Paris.

The last-minute decision took reporters by surprise, as well as some of his campaign staff, who were unaware of the schedule change and had been waiting at the farm show for Fillon to arrive, according to AFP.

Fillon gave a press conference around noon to announce that he will fight on in his presidential bid, despite being charged in the ongoing fraud investigation concerning his wife’s alleged “fake job” as parliamentary assistant. The allegation is that she was paid hundreds of thousands of euros for work she did not do.

“I’m going to fight with everything I’ve got,” he said during the press conference.

“I will not give up, I will not stand down,” he added.

The candidate also criticised the justice system for being biased and “systematically violating the rule of law” during the investigation.

It was after the press conference that Fillon ultimately went to the farm show.
 

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