French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced on Sunday her intention to contest her five-year prohibition from holding office through peaceful means, drawing motivation from the American civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. This declaration came as thousands gathered in Paris to show their support for her.
Marine Le Pen, the head of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), announced on Sunday her determination to persist in her political endeavors despite a recent conviction for embezzlement that prevents her from participating in future elections. She criticized the ruling as a “political decision.”
Last week, a court in Paris found Le Pen and over 20 members of the RN guilty of misappropriating European Union funds. This verdict includes a prohibition on her electoral participation, effectively hindering her ability to run in the 2027 presidential election unless she successfully appeals the ruling within the next 18 months.
“I will not back down,” Le Pen stated to her National Rally party members and supporters, who gathered at Place Vauban, with the iconic golden dome of the Hotel National des Invalides visible in the background.
She condemned what she termed a “witch hunt” against her party, as her supporters waved French flags and chanted “Marine! Marine!”
During a peaceful protest in central Paris on Sunday afternoon, Le Pen’s supporters waved flags and chanted “we will win,” reflecting the level of public support for her claims that prosecutors aimed for her “political death.”
Polls indicate Le Pen remains a strong contender
The court’s decision dealt a significant setback to Le Pen, 56, who is a leading figure in the European far-right movement and a frontrunner in the polls for the 2027 election in France.
Le Pen has filed an appeal against the court’s ruling and pledged on Sunday to utilize all available legal avenues to ensure her candidacy in 2027. The court is expected to deliver a ruling on her appeal in the summer of 2026.
An Elabe opinion poll conducted on Saturday revealed that Le Pen continues to be the favorite to win the first round of the presidential election, garnering between 32% and 36% support, ahead of former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who received between 20.5% and 24% in the same poll.
Attacks from Le Pen and her allies regarding the “tyranny of judges” have failed to resonate, even among some of her own supporters, especially after the lead judge in her case received police protection due to death threats.
The majority of the French population does not perceive any issues with the court’s ruling.
According to an Odoxa poll, approximately 65% of respondents indicated they were “not shocked” by the verdict, and 54% believed that Le Pen was treated like any other defendant.
In Place de la Republique, supporters of leftist parties gathered for a counter-demonstration to oppose Le Pen’s criticisms of the French state.
‘Emulate Martin Luther King’
On Sunday, prior to the rally, Le Pen encouraged her supporters to draw inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr., the renowned advocate for nonviolence, in their pursuit of equal rights for Black Americans.
“We will take a page from Martin Luther King’s book, who championed civil rights,” she stated to members of Italy’s far-right League party during a video conference from Florence.
“It is the civil rights of the French people that are under scrutiny today,” she continued.
Le Pen has also likened herself to Alexei Navalny, the late Russian opposition leader who died in an Arctic prison in 2024 after being imprisoned under President Vladimir Putin.
Le Pen has been striving to transform her party into a viable political entity, distancing it from the legacy of her father, co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, who passed away in January and was often accused of racism.
