Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), has labeled the court ruling that bars her from running for office as a “witch hunt.”
“I will not give up,” she declared to a crowd of flag-waving supporters in Place Vauban, near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, on Sunday.
On Monday, Le Pen was found guilty of helping to embezzle €2.9 million (£2.5 million) in EU funds between 2004 and 2016, funds used by her party. As a result, she was banned from running for office for five years and intends to appeal the decision.
During her Sunday rally, Le Pen described the ruling as a “political decision,” adding, “We are not asking to be above the law, but to not be below the law.”
Jordan Bardella, president of RN, echoed Le Pen’s sentiment, calling the court ruling “a direct attack on democracy and a wound to millions of patriotic French people.” He emphasized that while he did not wish to “discredit all judges,” he believed the decision aimed to “eliminate her from the presidential race” in 2027.
In response, Gabriel Attal, head of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, remarked, “You steal, you pay,” criticizing Le Pen’s actions and condemning “unprecedented interference” in France’s internal affairs, referring to support from several right-wing leaders, including Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Hungary’s Viktor Orban.
US President Donald Trump also weighed in, calling her conviction a “very big deal.”
Le Pen, addressing Italy’s right-wing Lega party via video-link on Sunday, compared her plight to that of US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. “Our fight will be like yours – a peaceful fight, a democratic fight,” she stated, adding, “We will take inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr., who defended civil rights. Well, today it is the civil rights of the French that are being called into question.”
A poll conducted by BFMTV after Monday’s ruling revealed that 57% of French citizens believed justice had been served impartially in the case.
The Paris Court of Appeal announced on Tuesday that a decision on Le Pen’s case could be expected by the summer of 2026, several months ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen had been preparing for her fourth presidential run and was considered a strong contender. Along with the five-year ban on holding public office, she was also fined €100,000 (£82,635) and sentenced to four years in prison, two of which will be suspended. This ruling will not take effect until the appeals process is complete, which could take several years.
RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli stated that while the party would fight for Le Pen to remain as the candidate, Bardella, the 29-year-old RN president, was “the most naturally legitimate” alternative. Bardella, however, has refrained from commenting on whether he was RN’s “plan B,” instead urging the French to be “outraged” by the sentence.
A poll conducted a day before the ruling indicated that about 60% of RN voters would support Bardella over Le Pen in the presidential election, should he run.
President Macron is ineligible for a third term in the upcoming election.
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