Brussels, my love? The rise and fall of Marine le Pen
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We are joined this week by Fabrice Leggeri, French National Rally MEP with the Patriots for Europe, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú- Irish Fianna Fail MEP with Renew Europe and Dharmendra Kanani, chief spokesperson for the Brussels based think tank - Friends of Europe.
The panel react to the recent court case that found French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling millions of euros of EU funds and banned her potentially from running for political office for five years. The news has triggered a lively debate across France, as Le Pen was tipped to be a frontrunner in the upcoming 2027 presidential elections.
Fabrice Leggeri, a close friend of Marine Le Pen, insisted she was innocent.
"It's not a surprise that French judges want to bar Marine Le Pen from the presidential election", he told the panel.
But Cynthia Ní Mhurchú - a barrister by trade - said being in denial was an example of the far right undermining institutions and independent judges.
"This is all about democracy. This is about Marine Le Pen undermining democracy, and not only seeking to undermine, but deliberately undermining democracy and the rule of law and all of those values that I know my group hold dearly".
The panel also discussed the roller coaster ride that the world just had due to President Donald Trump's tariff announcement. The uncertainty has given the EU a shake up to seek other partners and allies across the world.
"It's a good kick up the backside because actually it's great that Ursula von der Leyen stood there and said, "we will work with anybody who has a mutual interest", Dharmendra Kanani said, adding "I would say to her to put "p.s. that share our values", please..
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