PARIS (Reuters) -Eric Zemmour, the would-be presidential challenger whose incendiary language on immigration is shaping France's election campaign, skipped the first day of a trial for inciting racial hatred, and said he stood by his remarks that young migrants illegally in France were "thieves and rapists".
The far-right commentator, who opinion polls show could reach the second-round runoff vote in April next year, alleged there was a campaign to intimidate him.
