Story highlights Le Pen appears to have visited the factory to upstage Macron

Macron is being portrayed by Le Pen camp as out of touch with the people

(CNN) A factory that produces tumble dryers has become the dirtiest battlefield yet in the French presidential election.

While he was meeting union representatives at the Chamber of Commerce in the town, she rushed to the factory gates to meet workers. Le Pen was greeted warmly and took selfies with the employees, while Macron was jeered when he appeared there later.

Both are locked in a bitter battle with just over a week to go until the second-round vote, on May 7. Macron is the frontrunner, but Le Pen is hoping to gain ground by portraying him as an out-of-touch elitist.

"Emmanuel Macron was coming here, and he didn't plan on meeting the employees or coming to the picket line, but was going under protection to some room in the Chamber of Commerce to meet two or three hand-picked people," Le Pen told the workers, a Reuters video shows.

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