The far right of Marine Le Pen and the far left of Jean-Luc Mélenchon compete this Sunday in the streets of Paris with two demonstrations that aim to be "shows of strength" in the countdown to the 2027 presidential elections. As a counterpoint, moderate politicians from the center also converge on April 6 at the City of Cinema in Saint-Denis at the "refoundation" congress of Renaissance, with former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal as the star.
The concentration of the far left in the Place de la République started with a fairly discreet influx of sympathizers, in contrast to the tens of thousands gathered just two weeks ago in the massive demonstration against racism that opened the spring season of protests in Paris. The division of the left in the face of the sentence against Le Pen was evident with the absence of communists and socialists in the call led by La France Insoumise.
Marine Tondelier, general secretary of The Ecologists, took the lead in the anti-demonstration denouncing the "victimization" of the far right and accusing the "other" Marine (Le Pen) of having orchestrated the Sunday protest of National Rally to "attack the judges".
"National Rally has shown its true face", declared Manuel Bompard, coordinator of La France Insoumise, at the start of the left's counter-demonstration. "We are facing a dangerous party for democracy and the rule of law, which attacks the judges when their decisions do not suit them."
"We will never discredit a judicial decision," declared Gabriel Attal at the Renaissance party event. In the presence of Prime Minister François Bayrou, Attal made a call for "the moralization of political life in the face of the attacks of the far right on our institutions."
"Ours will be a peaceful fight, a democratic fight", declared Marine Le Pen as a preamble to the support demonstration in Paris, in a video conference with Matteo Salvini's League Party. "We are going to follow the example of Martin Luther King in his fight for civil rights," emphasized the leader of the French far right.
"We are about to win, that's why we cannot allow the judges to choose the candidates," Le Pen concluded, after half an hour of speech in a vindictive and tense tone.
The sentence of disqualification for five years for embezzlement against Le Pen has acted as a catalyst for what is interpreted as the starting gun for the succession in the Élysée, on a heated Sunday when thousands of citizens will take to the streets, the true third power in France.
The Police have created security cordons around the Place de Vauban south of the Seine, where the National Rally (RN) militants will converge, and around the Place de la République, in the "counter-demonstration" of La France Insoumise (LFI) and The Greens. Prime Minister, centrist François Bayrou, criticized the coincidence of the two street protests and appealed to "the spirit of responsibility" to avoid confrontations.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, on the esplanade in front of Les Invalides, the hordes of Marine Le Pen will gather, who will personally intervene to attack the judiciary and reiterate her intention to overturn the sentence on appeal, in time to be able to run in the presidential elections (the polls still favor her).
The demonstration in support of Le Pen has been called by her protégé Jordan Bardella and anticipated as "a peaceful and popular act" and "in defense of democracy and the rule of law." International leaders are expected to appear to show their support for the far-right leader, such as Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
In recent days, there was speculation about the likely presence of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, although it has not been confirmed. From across the Atlantic, Donald Trump expressed his support with a message on Truth Social ("Free Marine Le Pen!") denouncing "the witch hunt of the European left."
The radical left, led by La France Insoumise, will converge precisely at one o'clock in the afternoon in the Place de la République, two weeks after the massive protest against racism and the far right that brought together dozens of demonstrations and concluded, as is customary in Paris, in clashes with the police and tear gas.
It is expected that the rally, supported by The Greens and the unions, will not be as massive this time. The Socialist Party and the Communist Party decided not to support the call considering that it contributes to "victimizing" the far right and to make it seem like the sentence was "a political decision."
Meanwhile, moderate forces will meet in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, at the event that will bring together hundreds of Macronists, desperately seeking a new leader for the 2027 presidential elections, which the current Élysée tenant will not be able to run for after completing his second term. Along with Gabriel Attal, it is expected that former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, founder of the Horizons party (both forces are integrated into the Together for the Republic coalition in Parliament), will also participate in the refoundation event of Renaissance.
The Police set up an extreme security device at Le Pen's rally, with searches at the entrance and confiscation of water bottles and any throwable objects. It is estimated that 10,000 people may participate in the event dubbed "Support Marine!" ("Support Marine!"), six days after the sentence that disqualifies her for five years for embezzlement. More than half a million French citizens have signed the online petition in support of the RN leader, according to her party.
"What we have seen has been a summary and political process," said Fabian Leroux, 64, owner of an antique shop in the 15th district of Paris. "But the judges themselves have rectified and have recognized Marine's right to defend herself before the presidential elections, and all this will ultimately serve to boost her candidacy."
The chants of "Marine, Marine!" preceded the arrival of the far-right leader at Place de Vauban for an hour, not as full as announced. Chloé Moreu, 27, a member of the RN youth, however, assured that the support events for Le Pen held throughout France "will serve to further expand her electoral base for the 2027 presidential elections.
"We are not only going to have a female president, but also a prime minister who has incredible appeal among young people," predicted Moreau, directly referring to Jordan Bardella, the 29-year-old aspiring successor to Le Pen. "The prejudices against our party will fall with this sentence, which we hope will be overturned for the sake of French democracy."
"Marine, we are with you!", was the message with which Santiago Abascal led the list of foreign politicians with recorded messages in support of Le Pen. The leader of Vox criticized the sentence as "an unfair and arbitrary attack on democracy and the rule of law" and praised the RN leader as "a symbol of resistance."
Jordan Bardella invoked the spirit of Napoleon and De Gaulle and defended "honor, courage, and greatness" as the historical legacy of the French people. "We are also the country of an idea called democracy", emphasized Jordan. "And that includes the right to freely choose who presides over the destiny of France."
Bardella described the sentence against his political godmother as "an attack on democracy" and a "provocation to silence political opposition." "Patriotism and love for France are our hope for the future," concluded the number two of RN, who bid farewell with a personal tribute to Marine Le Pen "as a stateswoman" and with the slogan with which his party aims to run in the presidential elections: "To victory!".
Amid cries of "Marine for president!", Le Pen took the floor at 4:10 in the afternoon and defined her legal battle as "an essential fight for freedom and democracy". "I do not know resignation or abandonment," she proclaimed in a populist tone, in what analysts considered the official launch of her presidential candidacy, without waiting for her appeal to be resolved.
"This is not the ruling to be expected in a democratic country", declared Le Pen, blaming the judges and "the authoritarian brutality of the European Union" for attempting to block her presidential candidacy: "It has not been a judicial decision, it has been a political decision!"
Le Pen defined her resistance as "a fight for civil rights" and compared her struggle to that of Martin Luther King "against oppressors". The RN leader denounced "the perverse game of criminalizing opponents" with the sole objective of maintaining power while leaving the country in chaos.