French conservative candidate Francois Fillon told supporters on Saturday they were victims of a a bid to "intimidate" them as he battled to keep his presidential hopes alive. Marking his 63rd birthday, Fillon struggled to turn the page on a nightmare week that saw a haemorrhage of support after he disclosed he would face charges over allegations he gave his family fake parliamentary jobs. With some members of his own rightwing Republicans party urging him to drop out of the campaign, Fillon ruefully told 1,500 supporters at a rally north of Paris he had had "better" birthdays.



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