PARIS (AFP) – France’s far right planned to rally supporters after their figurehead Marine Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement and banned from public office, a move likely to exclude her from the 2027 presidential election.
The bombshell judgement stunned France’s political establishment, with even some of her fiercest opponents saying the far-right leader should be allowed to stand in the 2027 vote. She has lodged an appeal.
“People of France, let us mobilise to defend freedom, save democracy and support Marine!” Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party said on X ahead of the protest in Paris.
Polls indicate Le Pen, 56, would easily top the first round of the two-round presidential vote if she ran – the latest survey by pollster Elabe for broadcaster BFMTV showed her with up to 36 per cent of the vote.
She describes herself as the “favourite” to succeed President Emmanuel Macron.
Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement and given a partly suspended jail term and an immediate ban on holding public office.
Her supporters branded the ruling politically motivated, but Macron insisted the French judiciary is “independent”.
United States President Donald Trump called the sentence a “witch hunt” by “European leftists using lawfare to silence free speech, and censor their political opponent”.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou rejected that remark as “interference” in French affairs, in a newspaper interview. He added that it was “neither healthy nor desirable” to stage a demonstration against the court ruling, insisting French institutions allowed for “the separation of powers and the defence of justice”.
Le Pen’s conviction set France’s political scene alight, with some leftwing forces planning to stage a counter-rally
Jordan Bardella, the 29-year-old head of the National Rally, said the ruling would only boost support for the party.
