Paris: rally to "defend the rule of law" on Saturday April 12

On April 6, supporters and opponents of Marine Le Pen faced off in Paris. Two rallies were held just a few kilometers apart. The first gathered on Place Vauban in support of the leader of the Rassemblement National (RN). There were around 7,000 participants, according to police figures. Again according to the authorities, 5,000 left-wing supporters gathered at Place de la République to denounce the RN's attacks on the justice system.

This Saturday, April 12, 2025, a new rally is to be held in Paris. A number of associations and unions, including the CGT, SOS Racisme and the Ligue des droits de l'homme, are calling for demonstrations across France. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. The aim of these new demonstrations? To " defend the rule of law in the wake of the extreme right's challenge to it ". Marine Le Pen has been sentenced for embezzlement of public funds to four years in prison and five years ineligibility. However, the president of the Rassemblement National group in the French National Assembly criticized the ruling and appealed against her conviction, denouncing"a political decision" on April 6.

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Several organizations are therefore calling for simultaneous demonstrations on April 12, in Paris and several other French cities. They state that"a wide range of civil society organizations - trade unions, anti-racist, feminist and human rights organizations, student organizations" decided to launch this movement. Several other organizations have since joined the movement, including France Terre d'asile, La Cimade, SOS Homophobie, Oxfam, Greenpeace and Solidaires.

" Because we defend democracy and the principles on which it is founded, we, civil society organizations, call on all those who share these principles to express their attachment to justice and the rule of law by gathering on Saturday, April 12, 2025 in every city in France," write the organizing associations in a call published on social networks. In Paris, a rally organized as a"meeting-concert" is scheduled to take place on Place de la République, this Saturday from 5pm.

News and information from Saturday April 12, 2025 in Paris and the Ile-de-France region
Get all the latest news and information on Paris and the Île-de-France region today "today, at Saturday April 12, 2025. Measures, news, announcements and releases, we tell you all about the latest news from the capital and the surrounding area. [Read more]