At Place Saint-Ayoul, in front of the basilica in the town of Provins, in the Paris region, MP Julien Limongi took on a military tone as he addressed a small group of young supporters ready to hand out leaflets for him. "You are gathered here today to defend Marine Le Pen!" declared the 29-year-old former officer cadet, who spent a few months at the Saint-Cyr Military Academy. "It is a matter of honor for the one who has fought for France for so long and with dignity!" On Saturday, April 5, the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) launched a nationwide protest in response to Marine Le Pen's sentencing to a ban on on standing in elections, effective immediately, handed down by a Paris court. From the north to the south of France, party activists mobilized across the country ahead of a major rally in support of the far-right leader, scheduled for Sunday in the capital.

In Provins, a town of 12,000 inhabitants, about 15 activists spread out through the streets of the UNESCO-listed city center, known for its half-timbered houses. Most were barely 20 years old, and some were leafleting for the first time. Cédric, a 43-year-old farmer who has been a party member for over 20 years, is the only one who previously campaigned for the Front National (FN), which became the RN in 2018. "When you see that Marine got five years and the judge who prostituted his daughter got two years... What kind of justice is this?!" he exclaimed, referencing the conviction of a magistrate in March 2022 who had actually been found guilty if "inciting corruption a minor with no follow-up action."

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