Marine le Pen, the leader of the right-wing National Rally in France, has said her conviction for embezzlement is a “witch hunt”.
She was talking to thousands of supporters in Paris over the weekend.
Le Pen received a prison sentence, and was barred from standing for public office for five years for using funds from the EU parliament to fund her own party.
The court said she had embezzled nearly €3 million.
Le Pen, who has been a perennial also-ran in French presidential elections, was leading in polls ahead of the next French presidential election scheduled for 2027.
Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, told supporters that the ruling was a “direct attack on democracy”.
Bardella is now the party’s most likely presidential candidate, but his age – 29 – might count against him.
[Photo: Wallpaper Flare]