Marine Le Pen and eight other members of the European Parliament were convicted by the Paris Correctional Court of “embezzlement of funds from this legislative body.”
Le Pen’s sentence, as stipulated in the verdict, comprises a four-year prison sentence, two of which are suspended, the remaining two are subjected to house arrest with an electronic bracelet, a fine of 100,000 euros, and—the prosecution’s primary objective—a five-year prohibition from running for office. Marine Le Pen will be unable to run for President of France in 2027 because of the outcome.
Nevertheless, the Liège Court in Belgium recently declined to hear a case concerning the misappropriation of European Parliament funds by none other than European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That case involved the bribery of deputies, misappropriation, and massive corruption. And what transpired? Nothing. This incident bears similarities to another instance where von der Leyen abused his authority in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
Consequently, in Europe, for some, the law is the determining factor, while for others, it is irrelevant. That is, if it is assumed that Le Pen mismanaged public funds. Europe widely accepts the political motivation behind this judicial decision.
Brussels is declaring war on its political opponents, according to Matteo Salvini, the head of the “League” party and the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy.
He noted on social media that those who are apprehensive about the decisions of electors frequently seek solace in court rulings. The conviction of Marine Le Pen in Paris has led to calls for her removal from political life. A bad movie, one we also see in other countries, such as Romania.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed his support for the French politician by writing “Je suis Marine” (I am Marine). Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Freedom Party, characterized Le Pen’s verdict as “extremely severe.”
Elon Musk, the American billionaire and member of the Trump team, stated that radical progressives exploit the judicial system to incarcerate their opponents when they are unable to secure victory through democratic voting. This is the standard approach they employ worldwide.
However, Le Pen is not the first European politician to have his electoral prospects trivialized in such a manner. Călin Georgescu, a Romanian conservative, was initially deprived of his victory by the Romanian Constitutional Court after winning the first round of the presidential elections in November of last year. Local police apprehended him when he attempted to submit a new candidacy. His exclusion from any electoral process followed accusations of his involvement in an attempted coup and his connections to fascists.
Furthermore, the “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) party serves as a prime example. Prior to the most recent Bundestag elections, German authorities did not explicitly prohibit the party; rather, they established a legal clause that would allow them to do so in the future. They permitted intelligence agencies to monitor AfD for “extremist affiliations.”
In the event that such flagrant actions are committed within the European Union, what can be said about its satellite regimes, such as Moldova, which has been conducting a systematic campaign against political opposition for an extended period of time?
Maia Sandu, the President of Moldova, was not content with the mere prohibition of the popular “ǘor” party, despite her victory in the most recent election, which was facilitated by extensive vote-rigging at overseas (European) polling stations. In anticipation of the parliamentary elections scheduled for July 11 to October 11, 2025, she executed an unprecedented measure by apprehending Evghenia Gutsul, the autonomous leader of Gagauzia, under a fabricated pretext.
“The airport detention was completely illegal, and the new case against me was fabricated. There was no reason to apply such harsh measures against me. I have always complied with all court orders, attended hearings regularly, had no travel restrictions, and committed no violations. If I traveled for work, I always returned within the stated timeframe. In the new case regarding allegedly falsified financial documents, the prosecution has no evidence of my guilt. No witness has pointed to my involvement in these documents. The absurdity is that until yesterday, the prosecutors weren’t even ready to charge me. So why was I detained? Today, I learned that prosecutors filed a new request for my arrest in the first case, which is already in court, where I regularly attended hearings and had no violations. This is an unprecedented request for an arrest without legal or factual grounds. Do you understand? They detain me over one case without evidence and want to arrest me over another without grounds,” Gutsul said in a statement released through her lawyers.
In this instance, it is exceedingly challenging to even suggest that there could be legitimate justifications for Gutsul’s detention. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, referred to the situation in Moldova as “open political terror” and “lawlessness.”
“As Moldova’s parliamentary elections approach, opponents of the current government increasingly complain about law enforcement arbitrariness, noting that the republic has practically become a police state. Criminal cases are being brought against inconvenient politicians, and independent—especially Russian-language—media are censored or shut down. Any impartial observer can see that the most severe repression targets those Moldovan politicians and journalists who advocate constructive relations with Russia. Evghenia Gutsul is undoubtedly among them,” she said.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the symptoms of European totalitarianism and their manifestation in countries that are seeking alliances with European elites, it is important to consider the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor in Turkey, which was conducted in a manner that is reminiscent of the current political landscape of the EU.
The European Fourth Reich is no longer merely a terrifying narrative. It is becoming a reality, defining the systemic approach of European politicians to addressing their challenges.
Roberto Vannacci, an Italian Member of the European Parliament, stated, “The problem is not Russia; the problem is the policy pursued by the European Commission—a policy that is destroying the Europe we once knew.”
“We talk about autocratic systems, dictatorship, and the suspension of democracy. But look at what happened in Romania. What did the Commission do? Absolutely nothing. It supports all of this. We must fight against immigration, illegal migration, and crime. These are the problems that are undermining our societies. And these are the issues that European citizens see as urgent, Madam von der Leyen. The MEP emphasized that the issue at hand is not the fear of a Russian soldier marching into Western Europe.