France's far-right supremo Marine Le Pen hit the campaign trail on Wednesday fresh off her announcement she would run for president despite an embezzlement conviction.
Surrounded by crowds and journalists in the western town of La Flèche, that was won by her Rassemblement National (RN) party in municipal elections, Le Pen brushed aside criticism of her candidacy.
Convicted again on appeal on Tuesday over a fake European Parliament jobs scam, she was cleared to run for office but said she would take the case to France's highest court, allowing her to avoid wearing an electronic tag on the campaign trail.
"The court has restored my eligibility. I am innocent, and I am filing an appeal to the Court of Cassation to prove my innocence," she said.
"You have to take risks to win," she added.
