CIVICUS discusses recent changes in the French political landscape with Valentin Stel, Co-Director of SOS Racisme, a civil society organisation that has been working for 40 years to improve public policy and tackle racism, antisemitism and racial discrimination in France.

On 31 March, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, was convicted of embezzling European public funds, along with several others from her party. She was declared ineligible to stand in the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen immediately appealed against the decision. In response to this verdict and to support the rule of law, a broad coalition of civil society organisations, including trade unions, held rallies on 12 April in Paris and several other French cities.

Why was Le Pen convicted?

Le Pen was convicted on 31 March for misappropriation of public funds in a case concerning the RN’s parliamentary assistants in the European Parliament, a system that has been in place since the time of her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.

For over 12 years, Marine Le Pen and other members of the RN have misappropriated over €4 million (approx. US$4.5 million) intended to pay European parliamentary assistants to finance people who worked exclusively on national campaigns, with no connection to the European Parliament. Even Jean-Marie Le Pen’s butler was paid by the European Parliament and some paid assistants had never met their members of parliament after several months of employment.

The RN tried to delay the verdict by evading police summons and getting the hearings postponed, but those involved were eventually brought to trial. Marine Le Pen, who is considered to be the main person responsible, was sentenced to a provisional disqualification, which for the time being prevents her standing in the 2027 election. Other members of the party have been convicted, including Louis Aliot, RN vice-president and mayor of Perpignan.

How has the RN reacted?

Le Pen and the RN have put forward completely illogical arguments. They claim this was a simple administrative misunderstanding that should never have been brought to court. They condemn what they call judicial persecution and a system-wide conspiracy, accusing the judiciary and ‘red judges’ of having deliberately ordered Le Pen’s provisional ineligibility for the 2027 election.

Hypocritically, this party, which has always declared itself to be transparent and that demands harsher penalties for anyone who breaks the law, is now calling for differential treatment, a kind of caste privilege. For them, the will of ‘the people’ must take precedence, even over respect for the rule of law. By declaring they will use all possible means to ‘prevent the presidential election being stolen from them’, they demonstrate their problematic relationship with the rule of law and democracy, just like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán, who all expressed their support for Le Pen after her conviction.

Le Pen and the leaders of the RN are in total denial about the seriousness of the case. This is certainly one of the reasons for the announcement of the provisional enforcement of the disqualification.

The RN and its supporters are challenging the fundamental principle of equality before the law. They claim privileges for themselves while they regularly propose to restrict the rights of others, particularly foreigners and people of foreign origin.

What has been the public reaction?

A poll published by Le Point magazine after the court’s decision shows that 61 per cent of respondents approve of Le Pen’s sentence. The majority still believe that if the courts have reached a decision – in this case, a 152-page judgment after an investigation and trial – it’s because there are serious grounds and the procedures have been respected, which is rather reassuring.

What is worrying, however, is that between 35 and 40 per cent of those polled consider the sentence to be unfair, even illegal. In line with the RN’s discourse, they see it as a political trial aimed at censoring the voice of the people. These voters continue to support a party that for years has accused others of corruption and called for severe sanctions for such acts, but which when it finds itself guilty believes it should not face any consequences.

That’s why we are mobilising to defend the rule of law, which is not just an abstract principle, but what guarantees equality before the law and protects minorities, victims of racism, LGBTQI+ people and women. It’s not just a formula; it is what allows us to live together in a democracy and ensures everyone is equal before the law. Today we see the far right and established right wing attacking these values, and as civil society we are deeply committed to these principles.

Why did SOS Racisme mobilise on 12 April?

SOS Racisme is behind the rallies that took place on Saturday 12 April. We launched a call for solidarity to bring together as many organisations as possible for a national day of mobilisation in Paris and other cities. Organisations such as Amnesty International, the Human Rights League, Oxfam France and the Teachers’ League, as well as feminist and LGBTQI+ associations, student unions and workers’ unions such as the Confédération Générale du Travail, Fédération Syndicale Unitaire and Solidaires responded to show we are united and we aren’t just a committed minority.

In Paris, at the height of the mobilisation, over 5,000 people gathered for a rally and concert at the Place de la République. Starting at 5pm, there were speeches, testimonies from those affected and musical interludes. Each organisation mobilised its networks and it was a powerful and hopeful moment, before the weather turned against us. In other regions, our local branches – around 40 of them, all made up of volunteers – organised a range of initiatives with local partners, including symbolic gatherings in front of the courts.

As civil society, we have a role to play in educating people and explaining why the rule of law protects us, because for many people this concept can seem quite abstract. It’s essential to show that civil society is capable of mobilising collectively to defend the fundamental principles of the French Republic – principles that don’t belong to the left or right, but are at the heart of our democracy and set the foundations for us to live together.

Could this conviction affect the far-right’s support?

This decision could affect the image and legitimacy of the far right. This is one of the main reasons we mobilised on 12 April, despite the very short notice and a schedule complicated by school holidays. This was an objective court decision: over €4 million embezzled, probably from the taxes of French and European citizens, blatant contempt for the judicial institutions and delusional speeches by RN leaders. These facts are undeniable.

As civil society, we must mobilise our forces to recall the foundations of our life together and defend the democratic principles of our country. These principles allow us to live in peace in a democracy where everyone is free to debate, to hold differing opinions and have different identities, but always based on the common values of liberty, equality and fraternity.

At the end of the day, people know what France is and are proud of it. We love to criticise and get carried away in our daily lives, but it’s important to remember that the majority of us are attached to these principles. It’s also an opportunity to remind ourselves that we, as civil society, have the capacity to act, because what we do today will have long-term repercussions, particularly for the 2027 election.

Our collective mobilisation will continue in the days, weeks and months to come, through events – such as a roundtable being organised by the Human Rights League and plans to march together in defence of the rule of law during the annual 1 May demonstrations – as well as joint awareness-raising campaigns in each territory. Our mobilisation must be equal to the seriousness of the situation.