Thousands of enthusiast Marine Le Pen followers turned the center of Paris into a populist tinderbox on Sunday, brazenly gathering by Les Invalides just days after she was convicted of stealing EU cash. Though described as a protest, the event radiated like a campaign revival.
Le Pen, however, now banned permanently from office for five years, and sentenced to four, of which two under house arrest, refused to yield. I have fought against injustice for thirty years. I will not stop now,” she told a sea of tricolor flags and shouts of “Marine Présidente!”
However, the rally, organized by the National Rally, portrayed the court decision as a “judicial coup.” Rising-star Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protégé, condemned the judiciary for “judicial interference” and threatened a system “aimed at the people.”
Protesters stood with signs such as “Justice is dead” and “Je suis Marine”, drawing a parallel between her plight and that of Donald Trump. Across the Seine, on the other hand, left-wingers have protested against what they call “Trump-isme par le Jasmin petit puce.”
Experti argue that the bigger aim is to delegitimise French institutions and fire up the anger of voters. “This is not just about Le Pen,” said analyst Claire Montreuil. “It’s about shaking public trust.”
As 2027 draws near, Le Pen’s political motor – now run by Bardella – isn’t just living. It’s becoming a bigger sense of an insurgency.
As institutions prepare for more turmoil, all is clear: France’s far right isn’t going anywhere. It’s gearing up.
