Marine Le Pen’s National Rally accuses ‘tyrannical judges’ and authorities of ‘doing everything to prevent us coming to power’ as Europe’s hard-right rallies behind her following presidential election ban

By DAVID AVERRE and AFP

Published: 09:49 BST, 1 April 2025 | Updated: 09:51 BST, 1 April 2025

French hard-right leader Jordan Bardella has accused authorities of aiming to prevent his National Rally (RN) party from taking power after figurehead Marine Le Pen was slapped with a five-year ban on running for office. 

Le Pen has pledged to fight the court-imposed prohibition that appeared to exclude her goal of seeking and potentially winning the French presidency in 2027.

‘Everything will be done to prevent us from coming to power,’ Bardella said in an interview on the Cnews television channel and Europe 1 radio station.

Le Pen on Monday was convicted of creating fake jobs at the EU parliament, taking advantage of expenses to employ assistants who were actually working for her party in France.

Le Pen was barred from running for office for five years and given a four-year prison sentence, although she will not go to jail as half of it was suspended and the rest will be served with an electronic tag.

Twenty-four people – including Le Pen – were convicted – all of them RN party officials or assistants.

Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National – RN) political party, arrives at the RN party headquarters, a day after French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement of EU funds and barred from running for office for five years, in Paris, France, April 1, 2025

President of Rassemblement National parliamentary group Marine Le Pen (L) speaks to French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) RN party’s President and lead MEP Jordan Bardella

The veteran far-right politician was convicted of creating fake jobs at the EU parliament to channel funds to her party to employ people in France on March 31, 2025

Bardella compared the decision to a move in Romania to bar far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from standing for president after elections last year were annulled over alleged Russian meddling.

The RN leader said a ‘peaceful’ protest would be held this weekend.

He blasted the ‘tyranny of the judges’ but also condemned ‘the threats, abuse and insults’ directed at them.

One of France’s top two public prosecutors denied that there was a political element to Monday’s decision.

‘Justice is not political, this is not a political decision but a legal one, delivered by three independent, impartial judges,’ Remy Heitz told RTL radio station.

He also hit out at the ‘inadmissible… very personal attacks against the judges and the threats that could lead to criminal prosecutions’.

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Marine Le Pen’s National Rally accuses ‘tyrannical judges’ and authorities of ‘doing everything to prevent us coming to power’ as Europe’s hard-right rallies behind her following presidential election ban

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