As reported in recent news feeds, the European Parliament has suspended the parliamentary immunity of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Front National in France. Her alleged “crime” was to have included photos of violence by the Islamic State in tweets she made two years ago. This is yet another blatant attempt at political harassment and intimidation through the European judicial system.

Many thanks to Ava Lon for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Transcript:

31:10 Another question. You know well, Mme Le Pen, the European Parliament has to announce today

31:14 on whether or not your parliamentary immunity is lifted for the dissemination of violent images

31:18 after the publication of a tweet showing executions of the Islamic State.

31:22 So do you accept the fact of being treated as normally prosecutable?

31:26 I’ve never refused to be treated as a normal prosecutable, but

31:30 am I treated as normally prosecutable? —So it’s normal that this lifting of parliamentary immunity…

31:34 I’m asking a real question: I am being accused

31:38 on TV by a journalist that the movement I lead shares the same

31:42 ideology as ISIS. Do you realize the gravity of this charge?

31:46 I distribute 2-3 pictures of ISIS’ horrors, to say: this is ISIS. And I denounce

31:50 ISIS. And the minister himself,

31:54 the minister himself demands that I be charged

31:58 for disseminating pictures, that everyone and anyone could… —For violent images, yes.

32:02 That everybody and anyone could find on Google

32:06 by looking for “murder, ISIS”. —If this is condemned by the justice, do you accept it? —But why?

32:10 Why am I prosecuted and not others? This is the problem. —There could be other prosecutions…

32:14 That’s the problem. I’m a deputy. —You’re a public personality, very important… —NO, sir, I am—

32:18 Exactly, sir, no sir, I am sorry: I am a representative. —And you are disseminating tweets…

32:22 I am a representative. I am doing my job when I denounce ISIS. This is my job.

32:26 And if I don’t do this job, I am worthless as a representative!

32:30 And I think that nobody can prevent a representative elected in the Republic

32:34 from denouncing the crimes of ISIS. And while

32:38 Marine Le Pen is prosecuted for that — which is crazy — to the point

32:42 that even the Office of the Assembly refused to lift the parliamentary immunity

32:46 of Mr. Collard for the same facts. They refused. That’s how scandalous it was!

32:50 This political investigation, again… —We sometimes have political [investigations] against us.

32:55 We sometimes have the strong impression that you are a little above the law, Marine Le Pen.

32:58 You allow? While I am being prosecuted for

33:02 telling the French what ISIS is, the government wasn’t even capable of making a list

33:05 of criminal organizations that want to attack the lives of French people.

33:11 Meaning: ISIS, Boko Haram, al Qaeda,… —We are sometimes under impression

33:15 that you are a little above the law, Marine Le Pen, especially when you refused

33:19 last week to go to that police convocation. For what reason?

33:23 Well for a simple reason, Madame, that on

33:27 February 18th 2016, while this case,

33:31 this investigation was open for almost a year and a half, I asked

33:35 for the nomination of the judge. I did ask for it.

33:39 OK? To preserve the rights of the defence.

33:43 This request was refused by the court,

33:47 and a year later, as if by coincidence, at the moment of the

33:51 presidential campaign, look! They have a judge right away!

33:55 And they accelerate the calendar! But why haven’t they designated a judge, when

33:59 I was asking for it a YEAR ago? See? So I do believe it, yes.

34:03 Will you go to this convocation anyway? —Yes, I’ll go, like I did during the regional elections.

34:07 During the regional elections, I experienced, as if by coincidence, there was well, an acceleration

34:11 of the investigation during the regional campaign, and I told to the judge the same

34:15 thing I’m telling you today: I’ll go, of course, but not during my presidential campaign…

34:19 Does what you are saying also concern the case in the Parliament? —Because I asked you,

34:23 because I asked you a YEAR ago for a designation

34:27 of a judge, you have an Olaf Report [the European Anti-Fraud Office], that I am formally contesting,

34:31 EIGHT MONTHS AGO and as if by coincidence, well,

34:35 today, a couple of days from the very election, things are accelerating!

34:39 I’m saying that it’s not OK.

34:43 That the neutrality, the impartiality, the serenity,

34:47 necessary to administer justice aren’t guaranteed in this case. —But Madame Le Pen,

34:51 there is, however, a gap, you are perhaps going to

34:55 become the president of the Republic, thus a guarantor of the institutions, (part of which is Justice).

35:00 Of course, sir! —So answering to a convocation is a part of that;

35:04 a judicial convocation seems normal… —Monsieur, do you know

35:08 …and all citizens who were summoned will go. —Of course, of course, but you know there are also

35:12 in the constitution, because it is wise, a disposition, that aims to prevent persecution

35:16 of political opponents by a possible government. So you can see, that we aren’t the only ones

35:20 to think that this type of things could happen. There’s also the

35:24 author of the constitution, who thought about it;

35:28 and to protect those elected to the opposition

35:32 from possible persecution by the government, there’s something called “parliamentary immunity”.

35:36 Meaning that we’re asking the Assembly in which

35:40 the representative is sitting to judge

35:44 if he isn’t victim of what is called the “fumis persecutionis”.

35:48 Voilà. And this is the very reason for this immunity. It is constitutional.

35:52 So when today, the president of the Republic and the prime minister go on TV

35:56 to say that I am breaking the law, well, they are the ones who are breaking the constitution!

36:00 Because they know very well this rule, but

36:04 of course they are more in a political debate than