The Japan Times - Le Pen slams 'witch hunt', vows not to give up at Paris rally

The bombshell judgement, which could crush Le Pen's dream of winning the French presidency in 2027, has stunned the country's political establishment.

"I won't give up," Le Pen told members of her National Rally party and supporters, who packed the Place Vauban, with the glittering golden dome of the Hotel National des Invalides, one of the French capital's best-known landmarks, in the background.

She denounced a "witch hunt" against her party as supporters waved French flags and chanted "Marine! Marine!"

Jordan Bardella, Le Pen's top lieutenant and head of the National Rally party, told the rally that the court ruling was aimed at "eliminating her from the presidential race".

Bardella, 29, stressed the party did not want to "discredit all judges" but Le Pen's conviction was "a direct attack on democracy and a wound to millions of patriotic French people".

The far right sought to mount a show of force after Le Pen, 56, was found guilty Monday of embezzling European Parliament funds and given a partly suspended jail term and an immediate ban on holding public office.

Her supporters branded the ruling politically motivated, but President Emmanuel Macron insisted the French judiciary is "independent". The judges who convicted Le Pen have received threats.

US President Donald Trump called the sentence a "witch hunt" by "European leftists using lawfare to silence free speech, and censor their political opponent".

- 'Dangerous party' -

Some leftwing forces and the centrist camp staged counter gatherings on Sunday against the far right.

At a meeting of Macron's Renaissance party in the northern working-class Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, former prime minister Gabriel Attal accused the far right of "attacking our judges, attacking our institutions".

"You steal, you pay," Attal said in a speech later in the day.

He also denounced "unprecedented interference" in France's affairs, pointing to support for Le Pen from the likes of Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The meeting in Saint-Denis was attended by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and former premier Edouard Philippe, who also hopes to run in the 2027 presidential elections.

Some left-wingers including members of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party staged a counter rally at the Place de la Republique. According to a police source, around 3,000 people attended.

LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard said the far right had shown its true colours after years of efforts to become mainstream.

"The far right is a dangerous party, dangerous for democracy and dangerous for the rule of law," he said.

The far right is on the rise in France. Polls indicate Le Pen, 56, would top the first round of the two-round presidential vote if she ran.

- 'Follow Martin Luther King' -

On Sunday, ahead of the rally, Le Pen urged her supporters to take inspiration from America's iconic advocate of nonviolence in the fight for equal rights for black Americans.

"We will follow the example of Martin Luther King, who defended civil rights," she told members of Italy's hard-right League party, who were meeting in Florence, via video-link.

"It is the civil rights of the French people that are being called into question today," she added.

Le Pen has also compared herself to Alexei Navalny, Russia's late opposition leader who died in an Arctic prison in 2024 after being jailed under President Vladimir Putin.

Le Pen has worked to turn the party into an electable force and rid it of the legacy of her father, its co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died in January and was frequently accused of racism.

The latest survey by pollster Elabe for broadcaster BFMTV, released on Saturday, showed her with up to 36 percent of the vote.

But now Le Pen risks seeing years of progress undone, observers say.

Analysts say Le Pen will be forced to play the victim card to retain the support of her voters.

The RN is the largest single party in parliament and could complicate life for Bayrou, who does not have a majority in the lower house.

The Paris Court of Appeal said it would examine Le Pen's case within a timeframe that could potentially allow her to contest the polls if her conviction is overturned or her sentence changed.

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M.Matsumoto--JT