Marine Le Pen loses EU parliament immunity over tweets

[Mikula]

On 2 March 2017, the European Parliament voted to revoke Le Pen's immunity from prosecution for tweeting violent imagery. Le Pen had tweeted an image of beheaded journalist James Foley in December 2015. She took down the tweet following a request from Foley's family. In an unrelated case, Le Pen faces prosecution for allegedly spending European Union Parliament funds on her own political party; the lifting of her immunity from prosecution does not apply to the ongoing investigation into the misuse of parliamentary funds by the FN

[N1019]

Is the Deep State going after another perceived threat?

[Pausanias]

LE

[Ilma]

Actually this is all the way EU working hand in hand with french Governement to make her fall by ANY fucking way. This is just a pretext OF COURSE to make her fall because now she has lost her protection they can arrest her in France before the elections coming in April for an issue they tend to make her fall here as well (fact she engaged a bodyguard non declared by the party, totally bullshit irrelevant thing).

If she is now arrested in France she cannot run anymore the presidential elections and the benefits goes to Emmanuel Macron, inheriting of François Hollande governement and mandate.

French governement is currently working to make her fall before elections and as well they do to the only right wing candidate called François Fillon. He might be arrested in 15 days, just 2 days before deadline of the presentation of candidates.

If Marine Le Pen and Fillon fall it remains for us as candidates for Presidence of France only :

-Emmanuel Macron (inheriter of Hollande, left)
-Benoît Hamon (left party from Hollande)
-Jean-Luc Mélanchon (communism, extrem left)

Do you see what is going on ?

Of course they don't care about the fact she denonced in 2015 ISIS barbary on twitter ! This was just a fucking pretect to make her fall to work for Hollande current governement.

We are now in a fucking left dictatorship for 5 years and they are going to work in order this last again with Emmanuel Macron, who was, I have to recall it, minister of François Hollande and still working for him. This guy has never been elected in his life. He comes from banks, has been chosen by Hollande to rule economy ministery basically. Once Hollande admitted his defeat to run the next Elections he has chosen Emmanuel Macron as his legit successor.

[crazyladybutterfly]

edit

[Ilma]

EU, French Charges Against Le Pen 'Only Increase Chances of Election Victory'

"The EU's decision to revoke Marine Le Pen's parliamentary immunity so France can charge her with disseminating violent images is likely to only add to her popularity in France, Dr. David Lees told Radio Sputnik.

On Thursday, the European Parliament stripped National Front leader and MEP Marine Le Pen of her parliamentary immunity after a request from French prosecutors. Public prosecutors in Nanterre want to press charges against her for "publishing violent images." The charges carry a maximum fine of 75,000 euros ($79,000) and a three-year prison sentence.

Le Pen shared gruesome photos of Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) murders with her Twitter followers in December 2015 because she was incensed by a comparison made between National Front and the terrorist group by French journalist Jean-Jacques Bourdin on French television and the radio stations BFMTV and RMC.

"Daesh is THIS!" Le Pen tweeted, alongside graphic photos of Daesh executions she used to illustrate her point. The three photos showed the decapitated body of journalist James Foley and two other prisoners, one set on fire in a cage and another victim being driven over by a tank.

Le Pen later deleted the photos after a complaint from Foley's parents, but defended her actions, saying she didn't know who the victims were and that the photos were readily available on the internet.

She was roundly criticized by political opponents for tweeting the photos. Prime Minister Manuel Valls called the post "incendiary to public debate," and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve reported the offense to police.

Commenting on the furor then, Le Pen protested that "this whole operation aims to make us forget the beginning of this affair … (namely that) certain people have allowed themselves to make scandalous and ignoble comparisons between Daesh and the National Front."

Le Pen is also accused of misusing European funds, and the EU has demanded she return €339,000 ($357,000) she was paid for the fictitious employment of two staff members. According to the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF, in reality the pair did work for the National Front, not the EU. OLAF has launched a procedure with the EU to reclaim the money from Le Pen's wages, while the politician continues to deny the charge.

Dr. David Lees, a researcher on French politics at Warwick University (UK) told Radio Sputnik that the European Parliament's decision to lift her parliamentary immunity should be seen in the context of the financial allegations.

"The alleged financial misconduct is something the EU would perhaps be keener to investigate than these images and that is more likely to have an impact in terms of Le Pen's popularity, because if it comes down to it, Le Pen seeming to steal or at least misuse European money is a positive thing for her. It appeals to people who are already disillusioned with the European Union in France as a whole," Lees explained.

"To be perceived as a vendetta by the European Union, which arguably it could be, is not necessarily a bad thing at all."

"Le Pen is a notable thorn in the side of the European Union. She is very keen on allowing France to leave, (although) of course this would only depend on her being elected President and then having the powers to be able to enforce a referendum on French membership."

If Le Pen wins the French election, presidential immunity would prevent the European Union from prosecuting her for financial impropriety. If Le Pen then takes France out of the EU, Brussels would be left with fewer options to pursue a claim against her after she leaves offices.

Fellow presidential candidate Francois Fillon of Les Republicains is also facing allegations of financial impropriety, as well as calls to step down as the party's candidate.

French prosecutors are investigating claims he invented a fictitious job for his wife as a parliamentary assistant. According to the newspaper Le Canard Enchaine, Penelope Fillon was paid €831,400 ($875,000) over several years for the work, but she didn't have a parliamentary pass.

"The Le Pen situation does very little to dent her popularity in France and if anything will probably increase it. With the Francois Fillon situation, his failure to resign yesterday afternoon has really dented his ambitions of becoming a serious candidate for the presidency. If anything, I think yesterday's decision with regards to the EU is something which just increases the opportunity of a President Le Pen come April and May of this year," Lees said."

Source : https://sputniknews.com/europe/20170...ng-popularity/

[Mikula]

I also think, that it can increase her chances in the election (in the case that she will not be jailed, actually).
But if she will be jailed, actually - do you think that it will lead to violent protests/riots at France?

[Ilma]

I also think, that it can increase her chances in the election (in the case that she will not be jailed, actually).
But if she will be jailed, actually - do you think that it will lead to violent protests/riots at France?

They are currently manipulating the surveys about intention of vote since today, I'm starting to feel very angry like anyone else. They already programmed support demonstration for Fillon but even his party is now asking him to renonce to be candidate, it is damnly insane here.

If some are organising demonstration support for Le Pen I will go to and if we need to burn something instead of cuting off their heads I will do as well. Climate here is really in tension, it was already violent last year against State, if they make her fall, how popular she is (first candidate) people will go totally ape.

[Albobalboa]

They are currently manipulating the surveys about intention of vote since today, I'm starting to feel very angry like anyone else. They already programmed support demonstration for Fillon but even his party is now asking him to renonce to be candidate, it is damnly insane here.

If some are organising demonstration support for Le Pen I will go to and if we need to burn something instead of cuting off their heads I will do as well. Climate here is really in tension, it was already violent last year against State, if they make her fall, how popular she is (first candidate) people will go totally ape.

People won't do jack shit. Why do politicians have immunity in the first place? She posted his beheaded face on the internet which was against the wishes of the family, that's disrespectful as fuck for a politician. How low some people will sink for political points.

[EL_BARBARO]

Sad.