National Rally Condemns Police Raids as Political Harassment

The far-right National Rally party in France has expressed outrage after police conducted raids on its headquarters related to an inquiry into alleged campaign finance irregularities. Party leaders, including president Jordan Bardella, condemned the actions as an assault on democracy, while investigations continue into the party’s financing practices from 2022 and upcoming elections.

France's far-right National Rally (RN) has expressed outrage after police raided its headquarters as part of an investigation into campaign financing practices. This led RN officials to label the operation a "new harassment campaign" aimed at undermining their political standing. Party president Jordan Bardella condemned the raids, characterizing them as a "spectacular and unprecedented operation" that poses a "serious attack on pluralism and democratic change".

The inquiry, initiated by Paris prosecutors, aims to explore possible fraudulent activities related to campaign financing, including allegations of illicit payments that may have bolstered the National Rally's campaigns during the 2022 presidential elections and the upcoming 2024 European elections. Specifically, prosecutors are looking into whether inflated or fictitious invoices were submitted as campaign expenses for reimbursement by the state.

With an eye on the political landscape, former treasurer Wallerand de Saint-Just asserted that the National Rally had operated within legal frameworks, stating, "All our campaign accounts have been approved and reimbursed." Despite past legal challenges, including a conviction against RN leader Marine Le Pen for embezzling EU funds, polls indicate the party's continuous popularity, with Bardella recently being recognized as one of France's most popular political figures.

Although Bardella was attending a European Parliament session in Strasbourg during the raids, he claimed that approximately 20 police officers conducted searches for internal party documents and seized materials from his office. The investigation has routed back to earlier inquiries into broader allegations, centering on the party's financial dealings and the contentious environment surrounding its established funding models, which have previously included loans from banks in Russia and Hungary due to widespread rejection from French financial institutions.

In a related development, the European Union public prosecutor's office has recently commenced investigations into a former political grouping in the European Parliament, which RN was part of before it dissolved last year, potentially compounding its financial scrutiny. Bardella criticized this as a continuation of a perceived campaign against the party by European authorities.