On the Scrappy Fringes of French Politics, Marine Le Pen Tries to Rebrand
Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader and main challenger to President Emmanuel Macron in next year’s election, wants to persuade voters that she and her party can govern France.
The far-right leader Marine Le Pen posing next to a statue of Marianne, symbol of the French republic.Credit.Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times
May 16, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
LA TRINITÉ-SUR-MER, France It was the setting for a straightforward origin story, or so it seemed. Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader aiming to be France’s next president, came to launch her latest campaign in the seaside resort where her firebrand father once announced his own bid for the presidency from the family home.
Far-Right French Leader Marine Le Pen Acquitted Over ISIS Tweets
Ms. Le Pen, head of the National Rally, posted graphic pictures in 2015 to protest comparisons between the terrorist group and her party.
Marine Le Pen, center, in Paris last week. Her party, the National Rally, has a limited presence in Parliament, but she is still seen as President Emmanuel Macron’s main political rival.Credit.Yoan Valat/EPA, via Shutterstock
May 4, 2021Updated 10:15 a.m. ET
PARIS Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, was acquitted on Tuesday in a criminal case involving graphic photographs of acts of violence by the Islamic State that she posted on Twitter in 2015 after comparisons were drawn between the group and her party.