French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been found guilty of misappropriating public funds by a French court, which barred her from running for the next presidential elections. The ruling sparked messages of support and criticism from European politicians, with leaders from parties affiliated with the National Rally expressing solidarity and attacking the French judicial system.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote “Je suis Marine” on X, while Italy’s League leader Matteo Salvini posted a message saying “I back Marine”. The League described the ruling as “political and disproportionate”, and accused the judiciary of undermining democracy. Dutch nationalist leader Geert Wilders expressed confidence that Le Pen will win her appeal and become president.
Other European politicians also reacted to the verdict, with statements of solidarity and criticism towards the French judiciary. Tom Van Grieken, president of Flemish sovereigntist party Vlaams Belang, wrote “When nationalist politicians gain popularity, the system seeks other ways to silence them”. Greek MEP Afroditi Latinopoulou posted that the use of justice for political expediency undermines democracy.
However, not all EU leaders were critical. Valérie Hayer, chair of the Renew Europe group, accepted the verdict and called on everyone to bear responsibility. Chloé Ridel, a socialist MEP, criticized what she described as “anti-judicial rhetoric” from Le Pen’s supporters, but also noted that some critics were being hypocritical in their accusations.
Source: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/31/police-investigate-after-more-than-a-dozen-teslas-burned-in-rome