Paris, April 7, 2025 — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has denounced her recent embezzlement conviction as a politically motivated “witch hunt,” vowing not to give up her ambitions despite being banned from running in future elections.
The verdict, delivered on Monday, April 1, found Le Pen guilty of misappropriating European Parliament funds, sentencing her to a partly suspended prison term and barring her from holding public office.
The ruling has shaken France’s political landscape, casting doubt on Le Pen’s chances of contesting the 2027 presidential election and igniting fierce debate across the political spectrum.
Addressing a defiant crowd at Place Vauban in Paris on Sunday, April 6, Le Pen stood before cheering supporters and French flags, declaring, “I won’t give up.”
Behind her, the golden dome of the Hotel des Invalides added gravitas to her fiery speech, in which she claimed the ruling was a “political decision” aimed at silencing her party, the Rassemblement National (RN).
Jordan Bardella, RN president and Le Pen’s top lieutenant, reinforced her message. “It is not only Marine Le Pen who has been unjustly convicted.
It is French democracy that is being executed on the basis of a simple court decision,” Bardella said. However, he clarified that the RN does not seek to discredit the judiciary as a whole.
The party organized Sunday’s demonstration as a show of strength, just days after judges who convicted Le Pen reported receiving threats.
The political backlash has deepened existing tensions, prompting counter-protests across Paris. Left-wing groups, including members of La France Insoumise (LFI), rallied in Place de la République in defense of the judiciary and democratic norms.
“The far right is a dangerous party,” said LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard. “It is a violent party that even threatens judges when court decisions do not go their way.”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of LFI, also attended the gathering, emphasizing the threat the RN poses to France’s institutions. Meanwhile, members of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party gathered in Saint-Denis to denounce Le Pen’s claims.
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, addressing supporters alongside Prime Minister François Bayrou and ex-PM Edouard Philippe, defended the court’s decision. “You steal, you pay,” Attal said pointedly, rejecting Le Pen’s accusation of bias.
Bayrou, in a newspaper interview, criticized the RN’s rally as “neither healthy nor desirable,” and emphasized the importance of preserving judicial independence.
He also rebuked former U.S. President Donald Trump, who called the conviction a “witch hunt” and an example of political censorship. Bayrou called Trump’s remarks “interference” in French affairs.
In a video message to Italy’s League party, Le Pen likened her struggle to that of Martin Luther King and, controversially, to Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition figure who died in custody in 2024. The comparison raised eyebrows across the political divide.
Despite the legal setback, Le Pen’s appeal could be heard in time for a possible 2027 bid, should the Paris Court of Appeal overturn or revise the sentence. For now, however, her political future hangs in the balance, with France once again bracing for a polarized and volatile path ahead.
