TRANSCRIPT
Marine Le Pen stood on stage in Paris this weekend, not to apologise for her embezzlement conviction, but to claim she’s the victim of political persecution.
She even compared her movement to that of Martin Luther King Junior.
“Let me say that our code of conduct will never be about brutalisation that will be costly to other political groups, but rather a pacifist one like that of Reverend Martin Luther King for the civil rights of Americans who were oppressed and deprived of rights back in the day.”
Ms Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement on the 31st of March.
Her sentence included a ban on standing for elected office for five years with immediate effect.
Her party, National Rally, is treating the conviction, not as the end, but as the start of a campaign against what they call an unjust system.
On Sunday, Ms Le Pen’s supporters gathered at Place Vauban in central Paris.
The event was officially a protest, but it seemed like a rally.
Now, Jordan Bardella, president of National Rally and Ms Le Pen’s likely successor, is accusing the courts of overreach.
"In this case, my friends, it's not only Marine Le Pen who has been unfairly convicted - it's the French democracy that is executed, through a simple court ruling with almost no recourse possible. With this decision, they are not only seeking to forbid Marine from becoming a candidate. They want to deprive you of your voice and of your freedom of choice."
The court found that Ms Le Pen used EU funds, meant for parliamentary assistants, to pay party staff in France.
She received a four-year sentence, including two years in prison and two suspended.
She’s appealing the verdict, but the sentence took effect immediately, something she and her party see as politically motivated.
"This is not a court decision, it's a political decision. So now I should be eliminated from political life without any possible recourse, in the name of a so-called disturbance of democratic public order - a concept purely and simply invented for the occasion. Excuse me, but the main, and even the only disturbance of democratic public order, is that which consists of preventing the sole sovereign, the people, from expressing themselves. This is why I affirm that this political decision has not only flouted the rule of law, but also the state of democracy."
Across town in Saint-Denis [[san-denee]], former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pushed back.
He leads the centre-right Renaissance Party and says the verdict was fair, and based on facts.
"Well, the facts are clear. Marine Le Pen and the National Rally were found guilty after 10 years of investigation and process of having embezzled millions of euros from our taxes."]]
Mr Attal criticised Ms Le Pen’s comparisons to figures like Alexei Navalny and Martin Luther King, calling the comparisons, dishonest.
"Madam Le Pen. You aren't (late Russian opposition leader) Alexei Navalny. You are one of the pawns of his executioner. You have neither his courage nor his ideals. We, the resistance to this oppression, we know what it looks like. It does not have the face of Marine Le Pen ."
Meanwhile, left-wing protesters also gathered in Paris.
Some carried signs that read “No Trumpism in France” and “Emergency Revolution.”
Supporters of the Unbowed party, like Brahim Saidi, say the conviction shows the system is finally holding Ms Le Pen accountable.
“Sorry, but she embezzled money. Money from all the French people. She must own what she did.”
Even among Ms Le Pen’s supporters, some weren’t questioning the trial itself, but the timing.
Alexadre Dufosset is a member of Parliament and National Rally party member.
“As you know, Marine Le Pen was sentenced last week. What we find unjust isn’t the trial itself. It’s the fact that the sentence takes effect immediately despite the fact that she has appealled, as she has the right to. That appeal restores the presumption of innocence and so it should be respected. The fact that the sentence is being applied immediately will prevent her from taking part in the next presidential election. And that’s why we’re here to show our support for Marine Le Pen."
Polls suggest that Ms Le Pen and National Rally still have strong support, and Mr Bardella is already being seen as a possible 2027 candidate.
But the outcome of Ms Le Pen’s appeal, expected in mid-2026, could still shift the political landscape.
For now, France is split.
One side sees justice being done.
The other sees democracy under threat.
