Thousands rally in Paris for and against Marine Le Pen
Massive demonstrations took place in Paris both in support of Marine Le Pen and against her: supporters gathered at Place Vauban, while the opposition rallied at Place de la République.
Photo: Gilbert-Noël Sfeir Mont-Liban, CC BY 2.0
On Sunday, April 6, two large rallies took place in Paris following the recent court ruling that declared Marine Le Pen politically ineligible for five years, according to Le Point.
The far-right leader’s supporters were led by Jordan Bardella, who gathered between 8,000 and 10,000 people at place Vauban. The rally had been previously announced by Bardella himself on social media platform X.
Speakers included Marine Le Pen herself, the mayor of Perpignan Louis Aliot, and Éric Ciotti, who recently joined RN.
Bardella insisted the event was peaceful and a legitimate expression of democratic support.
Meanwhile, a counter-demonstration took place at place de la République, organized by left-wing groups and the Greens. Marine Tondelier said participating was “a duty to the Republic.”
Parties like the PS and PCF chose not to take part due to the presence of LFI. On April 12, CGT, SOS Racisme, and LDH plan a nationwide protest.
Earlier, Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling €2.9 million from the EU budget intended for parliamentary assistants. Instead, the funds were used to pay staff of her party in France.
The court sentenced her to four years in prison, including two years of actual incarceration, and barred her from running for office for five years.
The verdict took immediate effect, ruling her out of the 2027 presidential campaign. Eight other former RN deputies were also convicted. Le Pen left the courtroom before the session ended.