The protests in France have handed Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the far Left, a boost in his presidential campaign.

Polling conducted after the Oct 17 protests shows that Mr Mélenchon has pulled ahead of Édouard Philippe, an ally of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, to become the biggest challenger to Marine Le Pen.

According to the survey, which was conducted for the newspaper Le Parisien, Mr Mélenchon, the leader of France Unbowed, has gained two percentage points since civil unrest peaked in France last weekend, putting him at 17 per cent in the first round compared with an average of 14 per cent for Mr Philippe. Ms Le Pen, the leader of the hard-Right National Rally, boasts a strong lead, with an average of 33 per cent.

For months, polls predicted that the battle at the voting booths would pit Ms Le Pen against Mr Philippe,the leader of the centre-right Horizons party.

Edouard Philippe is losing ground amid fierce anti-government and anti-Macron sentiment But the events of Oct 17, when 550,000 people took part in nationwide protests that spiralled into chaos and looting, have upended the campaign on the Left.

Brice Teinturier, the deputy director general of the polling firm Ipsos, credited Mr Mélenchon’s full-throated support for the student revolt that kicked off last month.

“He has repeatedly emphasised the need to listen to the protesters; that is what has enabled him to rise to prominence,” Mr Teinturier told Le Parisien. “The real protesters have been forgotten by many, but not by him.”The poll surveyed 1,500 people registered on the electoral lists between Oct 21 and 22.

The protests across France have driven new momentum for the far Left French students began blockading schools last month to protest against teacher shortages and crumbling schools. Since then, they have been joined by trade unionists and the “yellow vest” movement from 2018, in a convergence of grievances that include the rising cost of living and the erosion of public services.

The protests have driven new momentum for the far Left, and diverted support from Ms Le Pen to her far-Right rival, Éric Zemmour.

Mr Philippe, who served as prime minister for three years under Mr Macron, is losing ground amid fierce anti-government and anti-Macron sentiment. In the best-case scenario, Mr Philippe is projected to secure 15 per cent of the vote in the first round of voting.

“The French believe the government has made poor decisions. Consequently, Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, who are part of that government, are being heavily penalised. This trend is accelerating for them,” Mr Teinturier said.

The riots were expected to provide a boost for Marine Le Pen but instead have diverted support to Eric Zemmour, her rival on the far Right Raphaël Glucksmann, the presidential candidate for the socialists, is also closing the gap with Mr Philippe, with an average of 13 per cent, and has the added advantage of presenting voters with new blood over the old guard, adds the pollster.

While the riots were also expected to give Ms Le Pen a boost, the polling shows that they have instead strengthened support for Mr Zemmour, the leader of the ultra-Right-wing Reconquête party, which currently has the support of 4 per cent of voters.

“Marine Le Pen dominates the scene, but she is not capitalising on current events,” Mr Teinturier said. “She is losing ground as voters are turning back to Zemmour.”