Convicted of embezzling public funds and barred from running for office, far-right politician Marine Le Pen stood unshaken before a sea of French flags in Paris on Sunday. "For 30 years I have fought against injustice," she told the crowd. "And I will continue to fight." Thousands of supporters gathered at Place Vauban, near the golden dome of Les Invalides and the tomb of Napoleon, for what was billed as a protest—but observers said it had all the markings of a campaign rally, the AP reports, that brought President Trump into the debate. Among the messages on supporters' T-shirts was, "Trump can run—why not Marine?"
The National Rally, Le Pen's party, organized the event in response to what it calls a politically motivated verdict. But with chants of "Marine Présidente!" and "They won't steal 2027 from us," the message was clear: This was more than a protest. It was a show of populist defiance aimed squarely at France's institutions. At the heart of that charge was Jordan Bardella, Le Pen's 29-year-old protégé and president of the National Rally. His speech was fiery, accusing France's judges of trying to silence the opposition. ""The system's not broken—it's rigged," said Alice Triquet, a 26-year-old bartender. "If they can do this to her, what stops them from coming after anyone who doesn't think like them?"
The reaction has been sharply divided. While National Rally supporters denounce the ruling as politically motivated, many outside the party see it as legitimate accountability. "I challenge the notion that there is a tsunami of support for Le Pen on this issue," said John Goodman of Syracuse University's flagship program in France. On the other side of the Seine, hundreds gathered for a counter-rally led by left-wing parties warning that France's far right is embracing US-style authoritarianism. "This is bigger than Marine Le Pen," said Green Party leader Marine Tondelier. "It's about defending the rule of law from people who think justice is optional." Le Pen's rally drew a much smaller crowd than organizers expected, per Politico Europe—far fewer than the 10,000 that Bardella claimed.
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