Kim Willsher in Arras

Monday 24 April 2017 10.12 EDT Last modified on Monday 24 April 2017 11.08 EDT

In the northern French town of Arras they have been commemorating the 100th anniversary of a first world war battle that resulted in almost 280,000 casualties. The streets have been filled with poster-sized photographs of a few of the 35,000 Allied soldiers from Britain, Australia, Canada and South Africa who died in the Battle of Arras, along with the flags of all the countries who took part, giving the town an unusually international feel.

It is the morning after the night before – when the voters of Arras closely matched the national result of the first round of the presidential election, giving Emmanuel Macron 24.6% and Marine Le Pen 21.49% – and residents and tourists who have come to honour the war dead are enjoying an early lunch in the pretty town hall square.

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Arras is at the centre of what was France's northern industrial heartland and is now Front National territory, but large numbers of voters in the town remain stubbornly centrist.

Marie Kostoj, 19, a languages student, voted for Macron in the first round and says she will do so again in the second round runoff. "I woke up this morning disgusted by Marine Le Pen's success," Kostoj says. "I'm glad Macron won. For more than 20% of the French population to vote extreme right is extremely worrying. It's a pity the anti-immigration and anti-Europe themes have taken such a hold."

Sally Mamgane, 32, from Senegal, has lived in France for 12 years but has no right to vote in presidential elections. "I would have voted Macron if I could," she says. "His programme was the one that ticked boxes for me, especially about giving foreigners the vote. The high vote for Marine Le Pen sends a shiver down my spine. It's not just the vote, it's the atmosphere it creates, which is threatening for us."

Her friend Pam Maymouna, 36, agrees. "We are afraid, because the support for Marine Le Pen is frightening," she says.

Marine, 58, standing outside the clothing store where she works, does not want to give her full name. She hesitates before finally admitting she voted for Le Pen. "What we hope for after this election is change. We don't want the same again. We have had left, right, right, left for years and we are disappointed," she says.