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Thousands gather in counter protests over the guilty verdict against far right Le Pen
People gather during a leftist demonstration at Place de la République, denouncing what organizers called a "Trumpist turn" by Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party, while supporters of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen were gathering to protest her conviction for embezzlement and a five-year ban on running for office, April 6, 2025 in Paris

THOUSANDS gathered for a rally led by left-wing parties on Sunday, warning that France’s far right is embracing United States-style authoritarianism.

The rally comes after French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was found guilty of using European Parliament funds to pay party staff in France, a scheme the court described as “a democratic bypass.”

She was sentenced to four years in prison, including two under house arrest and two suspended, and banned from public office for five years, effective immediately. Her appeal is expected next year.

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