Marine Le Pen may have been temporarily impeded by security fears and more than 200 demonstrators, but the Front National leader was last night finally able to give an impassioned address to students and members of the Oxford Union.
When she arrived at the venue Le Pen was greeted with protesters, some in balaclavas, chanting and protesting her presence at the age-old debating society.
Demonstrators were arms with placards, and chanted phrases including: "Le Pen — we know your Daddy was a fascist too” and “This is free speech, that is a platform," The Times reported.
Police said officers were deployed to assist venue stewards in maintaining public safety, but that no offences were committed and the debate went ahead as planned in the end.
Attendees were left waiting for an hour because of "security concerns", but at just before 7pm the MEP and leader of the third biggest political party in France entered the debating chamber and gave a forty-minute address, followed by half-an-hour of questioning from guests.
Le Pen led with an fiery critique of the EU for forcing open borders, free-trade and austerity on the people of France, and called for the assimilation of immigrant communities.
