The election rally, which is also the start of Éric Zemmour's election campaign, gathered 13,000 supporters according to the campaign.

Accompanied by Napoleon quotes and French flags, Zemmour declared, among other things, that "France will remain French" with him at the helm and painted a picture of him being opposed by the establishment.

- The package is now after me.

My opponents want to kill me politically, the journalists want to kill me socially and the jihadists simply want to kill me, he said in his speech.

About 50 unions and other organizations called for protests against Zemmoun on Sunday.

According to the organizers, 10,000 people participated, while the French police state that it was just over 2,000.

Convicted of crime after play

Éric Zemmour is previously known as a debater and author.

He is a controversial figure in France - known for his anti-Islamic and immigration-critical views and on two occasions convicted of incitement against ethnic groups after statements.

He has been singled out as a threat to another right-wing nationalist candidate, National Assembly leader Marine Le Pen, as they turn to the same electorate.

Le Pen lost public opinion in connection with Zemmour's entry into politics in September, but in recent weeks has risen again at Zemmour's expense.

Political scientist: Can disadvantage Macron

Göran von Sydow, political scientist and director of the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, believes that Zemmour's candidacy improves the chances of the Republican candidate Valérie Pécresse.

This is because Le Pen and Zemmour are partly competing for the same voter base.

- It could mean that neither Le Pen nor Zemmour advance to the second round of elections, says Göran von Sydow.

If Macron is instead pitted against Pécresse, he would find it more difficult to collect votes of support from, for example, left-wing voters who want to stop a right-wing nationalist candidate, says Göran von Sydow.

- Right now Macron looks to win against most candidates in a second round of elections, but I can imagine that it will be more difficult for him against a center-right Republican.

Macron has not yet stated whether he will run or not.