Le Pen calls embezzlement conviction a 'witch hunt' at Paris rally

The French far-right politician spoke to a rally in Paris after being found guilty of embezzling EU funds.

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 calls embezzlement conviction a 'witch hunt'2 days agoShareSaveJack BurgessBBC NewsShareSaveGetty ImagesFrance's far-right National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen has called a court ruling that bans her from running for office a "witch hunt".

"I won't give up," she told thousands of flag-waving supporters in Place Vauban, close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sunday.

On Monday she was found guilty of helping to embezzle €2.9m (£2.5m) of EU funds between 2004 and 2016 for use by her party. Le Pen has been banned for running for five years, and is appealing the ruling.

At the rally on Sunday she claimed it was a "political decision", adding: "We are not asking to be above the law, but to not be below the law."

Jordan Bardella, RN's president, told the rally on Sunday that the court ruling was "a direct attack on democracy and a wound to millions of patriotic French people".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dg90l7ymlo

---