Hard-Right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour promised to “reconquer” France on Sunday during his first political rally, as supporters beat and bloodied anti-racism activists who had come to disrupt the event and Zemmour himself was briefly placed in a headlock by a protester.

In an hour-and-a-half long speech to an estimated 10,000 in suburban Paris, Mr Zemmour set out his vision of a “zero immigration” France and launched salvos against the Left and mainstream media.

“If I win this election, it won’t be another rotation of power but a reconquest of the greatest country in the world,” he said to cheers from the crowd. “Join us.”

He said he was calling his party “Reconquest”, a name that evokes the historic period known as the Reconquista, when Christian forces drove Muslim rulers from the Iberian peninsula.

“From the first week of my mandate, zero immigration will become a clear objective of our policy,” Mr Zemmour – who has been described as the French Donald Trump – told flag-waving supporters at an exhibition hall.

During his speech, about a dozen activists from the French campaign group SOS Racisme rose to their feet shouting “No to racism,” prompting attendees to throw punches and chairs, images showed.