Marine Le Pen Vows ‘I Won’t Give Up!’ as Thousands Rally in Paris Against Election Ban

Thousands of people gathered in Paris on Sunday to protest the court decision effectively banning National Rally leader Marine Le Pen from running in the 2027 presidential election, in which she is the undisputed frontrunner.

An estimated ten thousand people descended upon the Place Vauban square outside the Hôtel des Invalides complex in Paris, notable for being the location of the tomb of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, to show their support for National Rally leader Marine Le Pen after a court banned her from standing in elections for five years over alleged embezzlement of EU funds, a ruling which she has appealed.

Ahead of the demonstration, Mrs Le Pen vowed that protests against the election ban would be a “peaceful” and “democratic fight” that would be inspired by the peaceful civil disobedience of figures like Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States.

Addressing the crowd at the Place Vauban, Le Pen said, per Le Figaro, “Everyone, be reassured: I won’t give up.”

She denounced “the perverse game” of the “persecution of opponents, criminalisation of opponents, the desire to ruin opposition parties with a single objective: to keep power while leading the country to chaos.”

“Our fight is also a fight for civil rights. Because there are clearly several categories of citizens [in France],” Le Pen said.

“To do this, we intend to invite all freedom-loving French people to engage alongside us in peaceful, democratic, popular and patriotic resistance,” she said.

Le Pen argued that the ruling against her, which has been criticised on both the left and right, represented interference in the democratic process by the judicial branch, saying: “We do not contest justice, but demand that these deviations unworthy of democracy stop. I say it again and again: we are the most fervent about democracy and the rule of law.”

The president of the National Rally and expected successor to Le Pen, Jordan Bardella, told those gathered: “They wanted to turn off a voice, but they woke up the people of France.”

“We have the imperative responsibility to never back down,” the MEP said. “Because we embody this proud, rooted France, determined to reconquer its sovereignty, defend its identity, and preserve its unity. I tell our adversaries: we are and will be here tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”

A counter demonstration of leftists also drew crowds in Paris on Sunday, with some chanting “Marine and the fascists, in the dungeon” and others comparing the National Rally leader to U.S. President Donald Trump. As has become a staple of leftist marches in France in recent years, supporters also waved the Palestinian flag.

The much smaller counter-demonstration at the Place de la République suffered significant setbacks before taking off. Major leftist parties, including the French Communist Party and the Socialist Party, refused to participate in the protest.

However, they were joined by Manuel Bompard, the National Coordinator of the far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed/LFI) party. Bompard accused the National Rally of being “dangerous for democracy” by organising a demonstration in support of Mrs Le Pen.

“The far right is a dangerous party, dangerous for democracy and dangerous for the rule of law. It is a violent party which threatens judges even when the decisions taken by the courts do not suit them,” he claimed.

Bompard also called for leftists to take to the streets en masse on May 1st, also known as May Day, an ancient holiday that has been co-opted by communists and frequently sees violent demonstrations and riots across France.

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