Slideshow: Le Pen supporters gather in Paris, turning a protest into a populist show of force

Supporters of Marine Le Pen, at a rally of the Rassemblement Nationale, Paris, Place Vauban, 6 April 2025. © RFI/Jan van der Made

Thousands of supporters of France's far right National Rally gathered on 6 April at Place Vauban, near the golden dome of Les Invalides and the tomb of Napoleon.

Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), has recently been convicted of embezzling European Union funds, resulting in a five-year ban from holding public office and a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended.