Le Pen's right-wing European allies condemn court verdict as threat to democracy

European rightwingers have voiced support for the French far-right politician after she was banned from running for public office.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersLe Pen's right-wing European allies condemn court verdict as threat to democracy1 day agoShareSaveKatya AdlerEurope editorShareSaveGetty Images/BBCEuropean politicians Viktor Orban (l), Geert Wilders (c) and Matteo Salvini (r) are among those who reacted to a court ruling banning France's Marine Le Pen from running for public officeMarine Le Pen is an icon of France's nationalist right: one of the country's best-known and most popular political figures - with her France First, anti-woke, anti-migration agenda.

Hard-right leaders, currently growing in support across much of Europe, view her as "one of the gang" - even if they don't see eye to eye on every issue.

Many of these leaders took to social media on Monday, after Le Pen was banned from running for political office for five years having been found guilty, alongside others, of embezzling €2.9m ($3.4m; £2.5m) of EU funds for use in France by her National Rally party.

For them, this was an opportunity, not simply to show support for Le Pen but to use her case to highlight what they see as their common cause – a struggle against a politically traditional mainstream, that seeks to muzzle or undermine their nationalist agenda.

But for Le Pen, this could be the death knell of her long-cherished ambition to become French president. She'd been riding high in the polls ahead of the next election, scheduled in two years' time.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99pvmxg0e3o

---