The French right-wing commentator and would-be presidential hopeful was spotted giving a middle finger to a female reporter on Sunday while getting into a car.
The incident occurred in the French city of Marseille, where Zemmour came for a two-day campaign event. He was preparing to leave the city, where he had faced quite an unwelcoming response to his anti-immigration slogans, when a leftist female protester showed Zemmour a well-known offensive one-fingered gesture.
The possible presidential candidate responded similarly, reportedly adding “very deeply.” According to a member of his team, he responded “instinctively” to the insult.
Although Eric Zemmour, nicknamed "the French Trump," has not yet officially announced his intention to run for president, he told reporters earlier that everything is ready in order to file an application for his candidacy.
Zemmour advocates more radical ideas than Le Pen, especially in issues related to migrants in France and the ongoing immigration from Muslim states. In the past, he even called for the country's Muslim community to be faced with a choice: "Islam - or France", and also insisted on a ban on non-French names.
In early November, Zemmour's approval ratings increased dramatically, with polls predicting that he could easily make it to the second round of the presidential election. At the same time, polls showed that in the second round, Zemmour would lose to incumbent President Emmanuel Macron by 15 percent.
According to the latest surveys, Zemmour is gradually losing popularity, which has decreased by 2 percent in recent weeks, while his right-wing rival Marine Le Pen has gained 2-4 percent. According to the poll, Le Pen currently has the support of 20-22 percent of voters, while Zemmour is backed by only 12-15 percent.
Zemmour's decline in popularity began in mid-November, following an unsuccessful visit to the UK. After that, the Swiss authorities prohibited the candidate from holding an election event on their territory. Apart from that, the possible candidate is facing legal charges for calling the children of immigrants "thieves, rapists and murderers."