Marine Le Pen banned from running for public office after guilty verdict
National Rally president calls for ‘peaceful mobilisation’ after Marine Le Pen convicted of embezzlement – as it happened
The French justice system wins and the USA fails.
Enforcing laws on rich/powerful, novel concept in some lands.
don't be like us here in the US having a convicted felon run the show
I don't have an issue with a public servant holding office and having a criminal record. People make mistakes, and people can change. However, I think the fact the current president has made public and copious comments about dismantling the democracy that exists while showing a blatant disdain for the rights of people, that I have an issue with.
Next time- Vote.
Sure, but it needs to be because she actually committed a crime, not as a convenient way just to block someone you think might win from running. I am going to assume in this case she is guilty and was found guilty fairly.
I don't know how politicaly motivated the harshness of the judgment was (and not in a "the politics in power wanted her gone", more in a "the judiciary system realised shit is hitting the fan between US crazyness and Russian influence and decided to take a step and make an example") but the evidence were damming.
Proof is: the defense didn't even try to fight the evidence, rather the interpretation of it and the harshness of the sentence.
Another point to keep in mind: an ex president is being judged for corruption and the sentence requested by the DA is enormous. Apparently the judiciary system publicly told they wanted to put an end to a perceived leniency on the politics and regain public trust.
I'm just afraid this will result in an opposite effect.
Good. In my country, a former PM who embezzled 1.6B is on the verge of being set free, with little in the way of jail time, while a construction worker who stole a loaf of bread got 40 years. Wtf.
Edit: I got the bread story wrong. Not the 1.6B.
40 years for a loaf of bread?
https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-spent-36-years-prison-stealing-50-bakery/story?id=65264675
I was wondering if this was the case? Apparently it was because it was a fourth offense and the law was strict about sentencing no matter what.
Which is a thing I find utter bullshit BTW. No crime that petty should be punished that bad.
Wait what's the bread story?
Now do Farage.
When convicted for embezzlement, someone should NEVER be allowed to run for government offices ever again
Funnily enough, when the law was introduced a few years ago, her party wanted the penalty to be lifelong ineligibility. They are probably happy it's 5 years, now.
Her party has no principles
Nah, always projection. Who would expect them to commit fraud if they wanted life long ineligibility?
coincidentally, according to conspiracy theorists and paranoid schizophrenics.. Embezzlement is the "fake" charge that The Deep state, The Man, The new world order, the lizard people, etc will always bring against the persecuted patriotic good guy.
in other words. the European and Russian far right will say the charges are fake and that its a political witch hunt.
What? A right-wing politician actually being held accountable for being awful and a criminal?
Never thought I'd see the day. Good job, France!
Of course Le Pen's reaction is that this is politically motivated. I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of this case, but am assuming the verdict is sound. Reactions like this are in my mind more serious than the actual offence; they undermine the rule of law. If found guilty in her appeal they should take this reaction into account and ban her from office forever.
This is honestly a fantastic development. Vive la République!
Hitler was sentenced for 5 years too lmao
What AMerica should have done with Trump
Worse than that would be justified.
After the January 6th insurrection he should have been hanged for treason.
For 5 years
Wow so when a fascist oligarch tries to buy your country you are allowed to say NO?
Good. Still, any real consequences for her? Like prison time? Or will she be granted the usual politician/millionaire+ special treatment and just go on with her merry life minus the extra power?
Reminds me of Portugal's former PM (Mr. Socrates), a few years ago, and 'his' 20M€. Or the convicted felon running the White House currently.
"Le Pen, who left the court before the hearing had finished, was also sentenced to four years in prison with two years suspended and and the other two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet."
She can appeal the prison sentence, but the office part has taken effect even if she appeals.
(so she’s on probation for two years in practice, better than nothing I guess.)
I misread as left the country and was disappointed on second read...
I believe that in French law, for sentence up to two year, you have the right to ask for an alternative to jail. And considering that she isn't homeless and has a steady job, she'll get house-arrest out of business hours. (But it's not just for politicians and billionaire, just that the average convict doesn't have a house and a steady job, so their case is kinda empty at this stage)
But loosing her right to run for election is a pretty big one.
You'd think "not being president" is pretty life changing, but what do I know. In any case, there is a four year prison sentence in there as well. Presumably pending appeal. I have no idea how the French penal system deals with it after that if it holds.
"Not being president" is not a punishment. Just the absence of a reward for her corruption. If the worst she had was "not being rewarded", then what stops every other crook from attempting to seize power?
Absence of a reward is not a consequence for breaking the rules. A consequence for breaking the law is the actual punishment, and that also serves as a warning to any other people wanting to do the same.
That's what's wrong with the system we currently have, and I'm glad at least she got prison out of it. Leniency is what got us here. There's got to be actual hard consequences for mocking the system. Rules are only as good as the willingness to apply consequences for breaking them. It's that simple.
So presidential! She could be our new president here in the US! Imagine that! First Felon woman president!
Man! We're busting glass ceilings!
A woman? That sounds like DEI, that's not allowed in the US of Trump.
Please, have her
Trump I'd working on that. Either her, a 3rd term, or Felon Elon ....billionaire's clause amendment.
Fuck its only for 5 years.
She was pushing for lifetime bans... When it wasn't her.
They are learning from America and trying a different approach... Jail extremists before extremists jail you.
If only America would've done this after Jan 6th
For just five years, though. Don't bury the lede.
It's 5 more years than any other recent fascist has gotten
Normally you'd expect this to be pretty definitive, but fascists are real good at playing victims, so I'm not particularly convinced this will move things in the right direction. Electoral losses would have been preferable.
Of course if she did the thing, she did the thing. I'm saying all things being equal I want to see these idiots lose support without having excuses to target democratic institutions in retaliation.
Some "sympathizers" are already crying the justice is interfering with politics. Although the suspension of electoral rights is inscribed in the law, and would you expect anything less of a punishment for someone who corrupted millions of € of public money ?!?
These same "sympathizers" are constantly shouting everywhere that our justice is to soft and that criminals should be punished more harshly.
Yes. They are wrong. Which is why I won't agree with them just because the criminal in question is one of theirs.
And yes, I'm worried that fascists have a history of weaponizing institutions against their enemies when they control them and presenting themselves as victims and eroding those same institutions when democratic processes hold them accountable for criminal behavior.
It's why, while I don't question the criminal outcome, I would have politically preferred for them to lose support electorally before this happened. They are likely to try to capitalize on presenting this as persecution and, looking at historical comparables, they are likely to succeed. It's not like Marine is so charismatic that her absence decapitates the movement by default. She's no Trump.
Still, I'm not objecting to her being inhabilitated or jailed. I just hope the rest of the French political spectrum has a plan to manage the fallout, because so far they haven't even been able to manage the fallout of actually not losing an election, so from the outside looking in my level of trust is low and Europe can't afford to have France spiral down into fascism as well.
US right now:
I wish we could do that in the USA. Must be nice to have a functional government.
Waiting for the orange fascist to threaten France with tariffs for this.
Trump should have been banned from running for public office
Elon and Trump will call France out for being anti democracy because of this. Changing the narrative that Europe isn’t a democracy anymore, but the extremely flawed American system is.
Common French W.
inb4 elle crie au complot
Oui!
I'm just worried what the reaction to this will be.
Not to defend Le Pen but barring opponents from elections is on page one of the fascist playbook.
French courts are independent. She will appeal, and another court will condemn her and her friends in appeal.
The evidence is multitudinous and straightforward.
Countries that have special rules for powerful people are the fascist ones.
No one in this thread is saying she shouldn't be punished for her crimes.
Yes, she's a horrible person. I still think she should be in prison and be allowed to contest in elections. I would never bote for her but that's a separate topic.
Who the hell votes for a convicted felon?
Nazi Bar Argument.
If you just let a bunch of Mobsters and their blood money into the race, soon, the race will be taken over by them.
No, I still think she should be in prison.
I guess Germany is fascist for banning the nazi party then? 🤔
It's problematic at least. The Communist party is also banned in Germany.
"Being really well dressed and using style to win people over is in the fascist playbook as well. Therefore drag queens are fascist."
That's you. That's you right now.
