The sun beat down on Place de la République in Paris and its bronze statue. Several thousand people gathered on the esplanade on Sunday, April 6, in response to the far right's offensive against the judiciary following Marine Le Pen's conviction of embezzlement. At the same time, a few kilometers away, at Place Vauban, the leader of the Rassemblement National (RN) was holding a rally to claim her innocence and protest her ban on running for elected office.

The left-wing counter-demonstration almost fizzled out as parties displayed their divisions in the build-up. While the Socialists, the Communists, and several unions and civil society organizations said the rally was premature and instead invited people to demonstrate on April 12, the call from hard-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) and the Greens was nonetheless heeded.

According to LFI, 15,000 people attended, a figure that seemed largely exaggerated. "It was important to show today that when the far right attacks the Republic, democracy, and the rule of law, it cannot go unanswered by the people," said Manuel Bompard, LFI's top official, upon arriving with the party's lawmakers.

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