Forget being French president; Marine Le Pen is lucky not to be in prison. Why is she in public life at all? | Rokhaya Diallo
Source: www.theguardian.com ·
Section: headlines ·
Bias: Center-Left
· Published: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:00:37 GMT
The far right leader’s career is not the issue: it’s whether a politician with her record has a legitimate right to seek officeFor many years, I have observed Marine Le Pen and her party and how they operate in France. I have heard their xenophobic, anti-immigrant rhetoric and felt it contaminate French political life. It is a rhetoric rooted in the history of a party founded by figures from France’s postwar far right. Nothing they do or say surprises me any more. But even by their standards the crime is extraordinary.A French court of appeal confirmed last week that Le Pen was guilty of a central role in orchestrating a scheme that systematically embezzled public funds for more than a decade. That the investigation also took 10 years may explain the absence of public shock waves, or why the focus has been on Le Pen’s future political moves rather than on her misdeeds. So let’s recap.Rokhaya Diallo is a French journalist, film-maker, activist and Guardian Europe columnist.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
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