Marine Le Pen's far-right political alliance “National Rally“ is organizing a large protest in Paris on Sunday after a court banned Le Pen from participating in the next presidential election in France, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The event in the city center will include speeches by Le Pen and party leader Jordan Bardella. The two categorically rejected concerns about potential unrest during the rally.
“Why should we be afraid of unrest? There is no reason for that. The signal we are sending is peaceful and democratic“, Marine Le Pen told the newspaper “Parisien“.
Bardella also emphasized the democratic nature of the demonstration, telling BFM television that the event was “not a coup, but an expression of democracy“.
Court case and election ban
On Monday, a court convicted Le Pen, her party and other party officials of embezzling European Union funds. She received a partially suspended prison sentence, which she is appealing, but one of the sentences - a five-year ban from running for president - takes effect immediately.
This means she will not be able to run in the 2027 presidential election. Although the Paris appeals court has promised to rule on the case by mid-2026, Le Pen fears that even if she wins the appeal, the lengthy legal process could prevent her from entering the race.
In her interview with “Parisien“ she declared her determination to fight to the end: “I will exhaust all the legal remedies at my disposal. I will not accept this.“ Le Pen is even considering taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights, if necessary.