French judges who convicted far-right leader Marine Le Pen of embezzlement have received death threats since the verdict was handed down, prompting police to launch a new investigation, judicial sources said.
The threats are so severe that the lead judge, Bénédicte de Perthuis, was placed under police protection shortly after Monday's ruling.
President Emmanuel Macron broke his silence on Wednesday, telling his cabinet that France's judiciary “is independent” and “magistrates must be protected,” government spokesperson Sophie Primas said.
Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison, including two years under electronic surveillance and two years suspended, and banned from holding public office for five years with immediate effect.
She has appealed the ruling, which she described to the National Assembly on Tuesday as a “nuclear bomb” launched by the “system” against her.
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'Respect the judiciary'
In his first official reaction, Macron emphasised three points, Primas said: the judiciary is independent and must be respected, magistrates must be protected, and everyone has the right to appeal.
Prime Minister François Bayrou told the National Assembly on Tuesday that the trial judges had his full support.
“Magistrates must be protected in the exercise of their missions,” Bayrou said. “It is legitimate to unanimously give them our unconditional support.”
A judicial source told the French news agency AFP the death threats are being included in an ongoing probe opened earlier this year into threats posted on the far-right Riposte Laïque website against magistrates involved in the trial.
Rémy Heitz, the public prosecutor at France's highest court, said the “highly personalised” attacks were “unacceptable” and could lead to criminal proceedings.
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Court unions speak out
Several unions condemned the threats. The French Magistrates Union (USM) called them “unworthy of a democratic state”, while the Magistrates Trade Union (SM) said that “equality before the law and the protection of the rule of law are at stake”.
A national association representing more than 77,000 French lawyers said that naming judges, questioning them personally or threatening them amounts to a serious attack on judicial independence.
The Paris Court of Appeal said Tuesday it would hear Le Pen's case within a timeframe that should allow a decision to be reached in the summer of 2026 – potentially allowing her to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen called this “very good news” but said it highlighted the “turmoil created by the ruling”. In an interview with Le Parisien, she said she would take her case to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing the verdict caused “irreparable harm”.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin told parliament he hoped the appeal would be heard “within the most reasonable timeframe”.
Should Le Pen's appeal fail, her 29-year-old ally and RN party leader Jordan Bardella is widely seen as a potential replacement candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
