Supporters of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen were gathering in Paris on Sunday to protest her conviction for embezzlement and a five-year ban on running for office.
Le Pen, who is appealing the verdict, has vowed “not to let the presidency be stolen.”
A rival leftist demonstration was assembling at Place de la République, denouncing what organizers called a "Trumpist turn” by Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party.
Despite the court ruling last Monday, polls are showing RN holding strong, even with Le Pen's protegee Jordan Bardella as a candidate in a 2027 presidential matchup.
Gabriel Attal’s centrist Renaissance party held its own event in Saint-Denis, warning of an “existential threat to the rule of law.”
The ruling has reverberated beyond France, sending ripples through far-right circles across Europe and beyond after some parties, including Le Pen’s, have gained ground in recent years.
