Importance Score: 70 / 100 🔴
‘We will not let the French people have the presidential election stolen from them,’ Le Pen says
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is back in her usual fiercely campaigning mode this morning, as she has just declared the National Rally would “not let the French people have the presidential election stolen from them” after yesterday’s court verdict effectively banning her from the 2027 race.
In comments reported by the French media, she told a group meeting opened to pressthis morning that she wanted to “defend the French people, who have the right to vote for whomever they wish.”
Le Pen compared the verdict against her to “a nuclear bomb” dropped on her “by the system,” arguing that “if they use such a powerful weapon against us, it is because we are on the verge of winning the elections.”
“We will not let this happen,” she added.
Le Pen also blamed the courts for “interfering” with the electoral process, saying it undermined France’s ability to defend democracy globally.
But she pointedly criticised reported threats to judges, saying they were “scandalous” and “unacceptable.”
Her comments come hours after the National Rally’s president – and a potential future presidential candidate – Jordan Bardella announced a “peaceful mobilisation” to express support for Le Pen, with protests and leafleting campaigns planned for this weekend.
Bardella claimed that an online campaign, started last night, had already gathered “hundreds of thousands” of signatures in support, with more campaigning expected over the coming days.
We brought you more of his comments earlier today (11.13 and 9.22) and in our yesterday’s blog (17.53).
Key events
Finland to withdraw from convention of anti-personnel landmines, plans to ramp up defence spending
Finland will follow Poland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in planning to withdraw from the Ottawa convention banning anti-personnel landmines, the country’s prime minister Petteri Orpo said.
The government said that the change was necessary because of the long-term threat that Russia poses to Europe.
Orpo said that while there was no “immediate” military threat, “withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention will give us the possibility to prepare for the changes in the security environment in a more versatile way,” or – to put in plain English – to stockpile and potentially use landmines on Finland’s 1,340 km long border with Russia.
The decision was taken after some “preparatory work” by Finnish officials, who concluded that mines “are well-suited for Finland’s national defence,” as they are “are technically simple and are therefore well suited for training and use in a conscription system,” the government said.
It added that landmines “can also be produced quickly and in large quantities in Finland.”
The note stressed that the Finnish forces would not deploy mines “in normal conditions,” and the country “remained committed to its international obligations concerning the responsible use of mines,” but it was part of a broader preparation for “what if”.
A formal proposal to withdraw from the convention will be prepared in the near future, and the exit will take legal effect six months after the notice is made to the UN secretary general.
Separately, Orpo said the government plans to increase its defence spending to at least 3% GDP by 2029, up from estimated 2.41% last year and 1.4% in 2021, the last full year before Russia’s aggression on Ukraine.
There is ‘overwhelming’ evidence that Russia committed war crimes ‘beyond belief’ in Ukraine, EU’s foreign policy chief says
Back to Strasbourg, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas spoke about Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, saying “the evidence is overwhelming” to prove “heinous” crimes committed.
She said:
“From photos to phone records and decoded call signs used by commanders of Russian radio channels, there is no denying it. We know exactly who the perpetrators are.
With the technology we have at our fingertips today, impunity for war crimes is, frankly, impossible, so long as we put the work in [investigating] it. And that is what we must do, because the number of possible crimes committed in this war is simply beyond belief.”
Kallas particularly condemned “the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children,” calling it “one of the gravest crimes committed, an extreme violation of human rights.”
She said that by continuing aggression against Ukraine, “Russia is destroying Ukraine’s present while denying the countries its future.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief said that around 170,000 criminal cases have been opened by the Ukrainian authorities, and are being supported by the EU.
“When this war is over, and one day it will be, recovery will come not from only a reconstruction of the buildings in Bucha or Borodyanka or Bakhmut … it will also come in the pursuit of justice and accountability for the heinous crimes committed by Russia, because only justice will give every Ukrainian family the peace of mind they need to move on and rebuild their lives,” she said.
Bardella maintains most Le Pen’s support, comes top in poll as potential National Rally’s candidate instead of Le Pen
A new Toluna Harris Interactive poll for RTL, published today, showed that party president Jordan Bardella would come top in the first round of the presidential election if he was picked as the National Rally’s candidate instead of Le Pen, with 35-36% of votes.
Former centre-right prime minister Édouard Philippe came second with 25% of the declared support, with the far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon third at 13%.
In various scenarios polled, about 90% of Le Pen and the National Rally’s voters would transfer his support to Bardella.
‘We will not let the French people have the presidential election stolen from them,’ Le Pen says
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is back in her usual fiercely campaigning mode this morning, as she has just declared the National Rally would “not let the French people have the presidential election stolen from them” after yesterday’s court verdict effectively banning her from the 2027 race.
In comments reported by the French media, she told a group meeting opened to pressthis morning that she wanted to “defend the French people, who have the right to vote for whomever they wish.”
Le Pen compared the verdict against her to “a nuclear bomb” dropped on her “by the system,” arguing that “if they use such a powerful weapon against us, it is because we are on the verge of winning the elections.”
“We will not let this happen,” she added.
Le Pen also blamed the courts for “interfering” with the electoral process, saying it undermined France’s ability to defend democracy globally.
But she pointedly criticised reported threats to judges, saying they were “scandalous” and “unacceptable.”
Her comments come hours after the National Rally’s president – and a potential future presidential candidate – Jordan Bardella announced a “peaceful mobilisation” to express support for Le Pen, with protests and leafleting campaigns planned for this weekend.
Bardella claimed that an online campaign, started last night, had already gathered “hundreds of thousands” of signatures in support, with more campaigning expected over the coming days.
We brought you more of his comments earlier today (11.13 and 9.22) and in our yesterday’s blog (17.53).
US-Ukraine talks over new minerals deals continue, Ukrainian foreign minister says, as he accuses Russia of breaking energy ceasefire
In Kyiv, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has offered an update on the talks with the United States over a new minerals deal.
Sybiha told a press conference held with his Lithuanian counterpart, Kestutis Budrys, that one round of consultations had already taken place and that an agreement providing for a strong American business presence in Ukraine would contribute to his country’s security infrastructure, Reuters reported.
The minister also attacked Russia for continuing to damage energy facilities around Ukraine despite a ceasefire on energy strikes agreed at talks in Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, a Russian attack damaged an energy facility in the frontline city of Kherson, cutting power to 45,000 residents, he told journalists, as Reuters reported.
Earlier this morning, Sybiha also welcomed Germany’s outgoing foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who said that “due to the deadlock” between the US and Russia on forging a ceasefire deal, European allies’ continued support for Ukraine in the war is “absolutely crucial,” AP reported.
“Ukraine is ready for an immediate ceasefire. It is Putin who is playing for time, does not want peace and is continuing his war of aggression, which is a violation of international law,” Baerbock said in a statement shared by her ministry, and reported by AFP.
Le Pen ban would deprive millions of voters of their democratic rights, RN’s Bardella says
Kim Willsher
The president of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party has described a court’s decision to ban Marine Le Pen from public office for five years, wrecking her hopes of becoming president in 2027, as “disproportionate, political and partisan”.
Jordan Bardella said the punishment for Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds would deprive millions of French voters of their democratic right to put her in the Élysée Palace.
Bardella, who is seen as the RN’s “Plan B” if she fails, said he refused to consider this scenario and pledged his loyalty to Le Pen.
“Marine Le Pen has given me everything in politics,” he said. “It is she who has given me the opportunity to be before you today. The least I can do is to fight with her to the end. We work together, hand in hand and in total confidence. I have total loyalty. Those who think they have killed off the RN and put us out of the game will not succeed.”
He described Le Pen’s sentence as “brutal” and a travesty against her and the RN, the single largest party in the French Assemblée Nationale.
“If you are in politics, you are not above the law, but neither are you below it,” he said. “As long as she can bring the RN to power everything will be done to stop us getting there,” Bardella said. “The place to fight adversaries is on political not legal ground. I say to those rejoicing in this decision: today it’s us, tomorrow it will be you.”
Bardella added that he hoped the appeal court hearing could be held in time to correct the “error” of the lower court in time for Le Pen to stand in 2027 and said RN voters were being ignored as “second-class” citizens.
Jakub Krupa
In the opening post I brought you some comments from the National Rally’s president Jordan Bardella and his Europe1 interview this morning on the verdict against Marine Le Pen.
Let’s turn to our Paris correspondent Kim Willsher for more lines from this interview.
Jon Henley
A large majority of western Europeans support retaliatory tariffs against the US, a survey has shown, if Donald Trump introduces sweeping import duties for major trading partners as expected this week.
The US president appears likely to unleash a range of tariffs, varying from country to country, on Wednesday, which he has called Liberation Day. He also said last week that a 25% levy on cars shipped to the US would come into force the next day.
Many European firms are likely to be hit hard. Some, including Germany’s car manufacturers and France’s luxury goods firms and wine, champagne and spirits makers, rely on exports to the US for up to 20% of their income.
A YouGov survey carried out in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK found that if the US tariffs went ahead, large majorities – ranging from 79% of respondents in Denmark to 56% in Italy – favoured retaliatory levies on US imports.
On the hunt for best April Fools’ Day stories across Europe
By the way, given how heavy the news cycle tends to be these days, we need to grasp every opportunity to look for something positive, so let’s celebrate the April Fools’ Day today.
Send me your best April Fools’ Day stories from across Europe for a post later this afternoon – I’m on [email protected].
Speaking after Costa, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen focused on the US tariffs, set to kick in tomorrow, as she said the bloc had a “strong plan” to retaliate “if necessary”.
“Let me be clear, Europe did not start this confrontation. We think it is wrong, but my message to you today is that we have everything we need to protect our people and our prosperity,” she told lawmakers.
She argued:
“Of course, there are severe issues in the world of trade, without any question: over capacities, we know about the imbalances, we see unfair subsidies, denial of market access, or the IP theft. And I hear Americans when they say some others have taken advantage of the rules. I agree.
We also suffer from it, so let’s work on it.
But tariffs, across the board, make things work worse, not better.”
Using Trump’s favourite phrase, she insisted Europe “holds a lot of cards” and would come to negotiations from a position of strength.
“We do not necessarily want to retaliate, but if it is necessary, we have a strong plan to retaliate, and we will use it,” she said, adding the EU would “assess … the announcements very carefully to calibrate our response.”
Her language reminded me of this instant classic (video) by commission spokesperson Olof Gill, who delivered this wonderful line last week:
“Look, we have to be strategic about our response here. And I repeat: we do not want to have to respond.
But at the risk of sounding like my three-year-old son: they started it.”
Over in Strasbourg, European Council president António Costa has been giving his verdict on the recent EU summit on Ukraine and defence.
He said the decisions taken constituted “a turning point in moving forward towards a strong and more sovereign Europe,” as he insisted that leaders “now need to continue to move with a sense of urgency to complete this work, and if necessary, take further decisions to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”.
Costa also spoke of the leaders’ determination to “take action to close our innovation gap, to close our productivity gap, to cut on red tape, [and] to renew European Union’s promise of shared prosperity.”
Italian prime minister Meloni says ‘no one who believes in democracy’ can be happy about court’s decision to ban Le Pen from 2027 race
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has just weighed in on Marine Le Pen saying in a social media post that “no one who truly believes in democracy can rejoice over a sentence that strikes the leader of a major party down, depriving millions of citizens of their representation.”
She said something similar to the Il Messaggero newspaper last night, caveating that by adding she didn’t know the details of the case.
Jakub Krupa
Elsewhere today, I will also be following:
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updates on Ukraine;
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the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, which includes debates on the recent EU summit, Ukraine and US tariffs, and could see some news on Radio Free Europe;
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The EU is set to present its strategy on tackling hybrid threats to the bloc;
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Poland, Sweden and Britain are set to launch a new air policing operation as part of Nato;
and, no doubt, many others.
Never a slow news day these days.
Morning opening: This is not the end
Jakub Krupa
Despite the Paris court’s unambigous decision to ban Marine Le Pen from running for public office for five years, effective immediately, it is increasingly clear that this is not the end of this story.
Speaking on TF1 last night, Le Pen said she would “pursue whatever legal avenues” she could to prevent herself from being “eliminated”. “I’m not going to submit to a denial of democracy this easily,” she said.
Le Pen, who was not found to have benefited personally from the embezzlement, insisted she had done nothing wrong. “I am going to appeal because I am innocent,” she said.
Overnight, US president Donald Trump joined a growing list of populist and far-right leaders – including Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Matteo Salvini, and the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders – offering their support to Le Pen, saying it was “a very big deal.”
“I know all about it, and a lot of people thought she wasn’t going to be convicted of anything,” he said.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s billionaire owner, who has backed the far right in Germany and plays a major role in Trump’s administration, said the sentence against Le Pen would “backfire, like the legal attacks against president Trump”.
And this morning, Le Pen’s close party ally and potential presidential candidate if she remains banned, National Rally president Jordan Bardella continued in the same vein, loyally declaring his continuing support for Le Pen.
Appearing on Europe1, he said the French should be “outraged” by the decision, and he said the party would organise demonstrations and leafleting actions against the decision on the weekend.
He said the decision was “disproportionate” and claimed the party’s right to a fair trial was violated as “judges have decided to purely and simply eliminate the candidate of the National Rally from the presidential race,” according to quotes carried in the French media.
First polls asking the French what they make of the decision show they are deeply divided in their opinion.
An Elabe poll for BFMTV showed that the plurality of 42% said they were satisfied with the decision, with 29% against, and 29% expressing no strong views on the matter.
Asked more directly about their view of the legal process, 57% said it was normal, while 42% sided with the NR’s narrative that it was a blatant move to eliminate Le Pen from the 2027 race.
57% of voters also pointed to Bardella as the heir apparent to Le Pen, with as many as 87% of the NR’s voters backing his candidacy as the best available alternative.
For what it’s worth, he said he wouldn’t even entertain that scenario until all avenues for challenging the ban have been exhausted.
This story is not going away and we will bring you all the updates along the way, as usual – alongside all other big stories of the day across Europe.
It’s Tuesday, 1 April 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.