I never play the victim, says France's Royal

LYON, France (Reuters) - French Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal, who has often complained of opponents picking on her, denied on Friday ever playing the victim.

"You will never see me hold myself up as a victim," Royal told a rally.

"I am not a weak victim, I am not a weak woman, I am a tough woman ... I am a solid woman, I am a fighter," she said to loud cheers in a vast exhibition center on the outskirts of Lyon.

Royal has regularly accused rivals of targeting her because she is a woman, saying she has had a rougher ride through the campaign because of her gender -- a line she repeated on Friday.

However, she said her rival in the May 6 presidential election, Nicolas Sarkozy, was painting himself as a victim after coming under concerted attack from an array of rivals.

In a single speech earlier this week, the rightist leader repeated more than 40 times that he was facing a hate campaign -- a charge Royal dismissed.

"You know all the blows that I have received during this campaign, but I don't pose before the television every blessed morning like a victim. Poor victim," she said, oozing scorn.

"At this level, you have to accept the responsibility of the strength of the engagement, the strength of the confrontation and the exchange of ideas," she said.

The tone between Royal and Sarkozy has grown especially harsh in recent days and the two meet for a possibly decisive head-to-head television debate on May 2.