Loading ...French National Front leader Marine Le Pen has appeared in court in Lyon, to answer charges of inciting racial hatred, for comparing Muslims praying in the street to the Nazi occupation.
She made the comments at a rally in the city in 2010 when she was fighting for the leadership of the party.
Ms Le Pen’s anti-immigration and anti-EU message is attracting increasing support in France.
Her party is hoping to win two French regions in December local elections.
Outside court, she insisted she had not committed any offence and questioned the timing of the trial.
“We’re a month away from a regional election and this affair dates back five years,” she told reporters.