Marine Le Pen’s political future is cloudy for now, but Sunday’s rally in support of her took place under an impeccably sunny spring sky in an upscale neighborhood of central Paris, with temperatures nearing 20 degrees Celsius, reports Politico.
But despite ideal weather, the crowd didn’t show up.
The far-right politician’s supporters were called to gather in the French capital after Le Pen was found guilty last Monday of embezzling funds from the European Parliament and sentenced to an immediate five-year ban from running for office — a decision that dealt a massive blow to her chances of standing in the next presidential election, scheduled for 2027. Her party, the National Rally, and 22 other defendants also were convicted in the case.
During an aggressive speech to the crowd on Sunday, Le Pen again claimed that the verdict was politically motivated and that her fight was for “truth and justice.” Le Pen called the European Union’s anti-fraud unit, OLAF, a “totalitarian organism” and pinned the investigations into her party on the Parliament’s former social democratic president, Martin Schulz.
“The system’s only purpose is to stay in place, no matter the cost,” Le Pen said.
Boasting support from other far-right politicians in Europe, Le Pen said that “in all European countries, national leaders are prosecuted,” pointing to her Italian ally Matteo Salvini. She also said that “uncomfortable candidates are prevented from running,” a reference to Romanian ultrantionalist Călin Georgescu.
According to organizers of Sunday’s rally, some 5,000 to 8,000 people were expected to attend the event, soberly titled “Save Democracy,” with a fleet of 20 buses and nine mini-buses to bring in more supporters.