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They have extremes here in France, a protest organized by France's far left
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La France Insoumise, the France and Bad Party, taking place at Place de la République in downtown Paris
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That's actually a counter-protest that's against the far right and the figure, specifically Marine Le Pen
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Le Pen found guilty on Monday of embezzling EU funds, barred from running for public office
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notably president in 2027. For more, we can talk to Antonia Kerrigan. She's covering the
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far-right rally that will be beginning in a few hours' time. Hello to you, Antonia. The
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demonstration is going to get started a little bit later. What are we expecting today
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Well, of course, in the initial hours and days following that ruling on Monday
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what we heard from elected officials of the far-right was a tirade of anti-judicial
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sentiment. And of course, when that was met with accusations by opponents that they were looking
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to attack the institutions, they've really dialed back the idea that today is a protest
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They're trying to style it more as a campaign rally. Marine Le Pen herself has called it the
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start gun for the presidentials. So they've chosen as their venue Place Vauban, the square behind me
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That a square with a capacity of only about 8 So it be fairly easily filled They shipping in supporters from across France Organizers tell us there will be 20 busloads and eight mini busloads from across
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France attending the rally today with an expectation of five to eight thousand present. The idea
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is to send a message that they, the RN, the national rally are very much still in the
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race for the presidency. We'll have speeches from Louis Eliaux who was also convicted alongside
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Marine Le Pen on Monday of embezzlement, Jordan Bardella, the party second in command, and
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Marine Le Pen herself. Now, when she said, of course, that this is a start gun for the
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presidentials, she's not wrong. As you say, there's a counter-protest across town today
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And this event here has also become the focus of a centrist bloc rally happening in the
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Saint-Denis area. So Monday's ruling has definitely catalyzed the beginning of the presidential
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race. It's early days here today. What's too soon to say how
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strong that support will be in person. What we can say is
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that initial polling puts national rally, whoever their candidate is, be it Jardin Bardella or Marine Le Pen
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far out in front of their competitors for the 2027 presidential race. That is, of course, despite
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on Monday, those 24 convictions for embezzlement of 4.1 million euros over
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11 years. So we'll have to wait and see today, but already the polling suggests there could be a strong turnout for the far-right figure
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All right, Antonio. Thank you very much. Antonio Kerrigan, report
