A woman has hurled flour at the Socialist candidate in the French presidential election, Francois Hollande, at a campaign stop in Paris. Bodyguards leapt forward to protect the candidate and the assailant was restrained, then carried from the stage by her hands and feet, the Guardian writes.

Mr Hollande, covered in white, stayed calm during the incident.

It has also emerged that a bullet and threatening letters were sent to French Green presidential candidate Eva Joly.

The bullet was sent last month, campaign manager Stephane Sitbon-Gomez told the French news agency AFP after a report emerged on French radio.

"We get very nationalist letters from the extreme right," he added.

'Didn't do her credit'
 
Mr Hollande was speaking at La Porte de Versailles about housing when the woman hurled a bag of flour.

Named as Claire Seguin, from Lille and aged 45, she was heard shouting that she had been denied justice and was being "assassinated by Socialists in Lille", Le Figaro newspaper reports.

A message sent later from Mr Hollande's official Twitter account described the flour attack as an "isolated act which does its author no credit".

"There are other ways of showing one's disagreement. I remain ever open to dialogue."

The first round of the presidential election is to be held on 22 April.

Three opinion polls released this week suggest Mr Hollande will lead the conservative incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, into a second round on 6 May - by 31% to 23.5%, according to the latest survey, by polling group Ifop.

Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Front candidate, remains in third place (20% - Ifop) while in fourth is centrist candidate Francois Bayrou, whose support appears to have fallen slightly in recent weeks (12% - Ifop).

Placed fifth is the Left Party's Jean-Luc Melenchon (7.5% - Ifop), followed by Ms Joly with about 3% of the vote.

Mr Sarkozy's old rival, Dominique de Villepin is tipped to come seventh (1% - Ifop).