Le Pen vows to fight ban as French right urges protests

Marine Le Pen said the establishment has dropped a nuclear bomb” in an address to fellow National Rally MPs after a court ruling barred her from standing for public office ahead of the French presidential elections.

- STEFFIE BANATVALA

Less than 24 hours after being found guilty of embezzlement, Le Pen said: “If they use such a powerful weapon against us, it is because we are on the verge of winning the elections.” The National Rally (RN) leader also told the meeting she would “defend the French people, who have the right to vote for whomever they wish”.

Her comments are the latest in a series of attacks on a French court’s decision to ban her from public office for five years following her conviction – a move that means she will not be able to stand in the presidential election in 2027.