Far right calls on French people to rally against Le Pen's election ban

Record ID: 1987540

  • Title: Far right calls on French people to rally against Le Pen's election ban
  • Date: 1st April 2025
  • Summary: ADVERSARY OF NATIONAL RALLY (RN), SHOUTING FROM CAR (French): “4 million (euros), you embezzled 4 million (euros)”, BRIOIS ANSWERING (French): “Your turn will come, your turn will come, don’t worry” FLYER WITH TEXT READING (French): “Let’s save democracy, let’s support Marine!” (SOUNDBITE) (French) MAYOR OF HENIN-BEAUMONT AND MEMBER OF NATIONAL RALLY (RN), STEEVE BRIOIS, S
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: France Marine Le Pen National Rally
  • Location: HENIN-BEAUMONT, FRANCE
  • City: HENIN-BEAUMONT, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA003329101042025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Local RN officials in Marine Le Pen's stronghold of Henin-Beaumont, in northern France, were handing out on Tuesday (April 1) leaflets in support of the French far-right leader, after a ruling that bans her from holding public office for five years due to her conviction for embezzling European Union funds.
    This followed party president Jordan Bardella's call for nationwide protests against a judgment that far-right leaders said was biased and undemocratic.
    “We have to get out on the street, of course, here in Henin (-Beaumont) and I hope elsewhere in France, because we cannot tolerate this," said Henin-Beaumont mayor Steeve Briois while handing leaflets reading "Let's save democracy. Support Le Pen!"
    "The nature of the sentence is totally unjust, because they are clearly after her with the aim to prevent her running for the 2027 presidential elections,” added Briois.
    "I believe today that the French must be outraged, and I tell them: Be outraged!," Bardella told Europe 1 radio and CNews TV.
    "We'll take to the streets this weekend. We're organizing leaflet distributions, democratic, peaceful, calm mobilisations," he said.
    Bardella could become the RN's de facto candidate for the 2027 election.
    Le Pen, who had been the front-runner in opinion polls for the 2027 presidential election, said she would appeal as soon as possible against what she described as a politicized ruling aimed at blocking her presidential bid.
    "We won't give in," Le Pen told RN lawmakers on Tuesday, saying that, with the ruling "the establishment" had used a "nuclear bomb" against her.
    The judge in the court hearing on Monday, Benedicte de Perthuis, said Le Pen had been "at the heart" of a scheme to misappropriate more than 4 million euros ($4.3 million) of EU funds.
    The lack of remorse by Le Pen and other defendants was among the reasons that prompted the court to ban them from running for office with immediate effect, de Perthuis said.
    (Production: Marco Trujillo, Bart Biesemans, Marta Fiorin)
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