Mob Chases Sarkozy Into Bar

Yesterday was a tough day on the campaign trail for Nicolas Sarkozy. The French president was forced to take refuge in a bar after being confronted by a hostile crowd in the southwestern city of Bayonne, the BBC reports. Hundreds of angry protesters—a mix of Basque nationalists and supporters of Sarkozy's Socialist rival Francois Hollande—pelted the bar with eggs as it was surrounded by riot police. Sarkozy managed to slip out after about an hour.

An angry Sarkozy later denounced "the violence of a minority and their unacceptable behavior," and described the protesters as hooligans. "Here, we're in France, on the territory of the French republic, and the president of the republic will go everywhere," he said. "And if that doesn't please a minority of troublemakers, too bad for them." Hollande, who is leading Sarkozy in the polls, didn't directly address the incident, but urged his supporters to avoid resorting to verbal or physical abuse. (More Francois Hollande stories.)