Marine Le Pen

Marine Le Pen (born 05 August 1968, Neuilly sur Seine) is the leader of the far right French party the Front National. She has been an MEP since 2004European Parliament, MEP Directory: Marine Le Pen, accessed 30 November 2010. and was a lawyer during the 1990s.
Marine Le Pen is the daughter of the Front National's founder Jean Marie Le Pen, who she succeeded as leader in 2011. 
Since June 2015 she has been co-chair of the European Parliament's Europe of Nations and Freedom Group, which the Front National set up in 2014 with far right Flemish party Vlaams Belang.
In December 2015, she led the Front National to victory in six out of 12 of the first round regional elections. However in the second round a huge turn out in reaction to the FN's success prevented the party from taking control of any regional power. Overall the party still polled an estimated 7 million votes nationwide and Le Pen declared herself a potential winner of the French presidential elections, due in 2017.John Lichfield, France election: Front National fails to win a single region in second round of voting – but Marine Le Pen insists she's still on course for presidency, The Independent, 14 December 2015
==Legal issues==
===Hate speech charges over Islam comments===
In October 2015 Le Pen went on trial for inciting racial hatred, having compared Muslims praying in the streets to the Nazi occupation during a party rally in Lyon in 2010. She denies the charge, defending her comments as merely 'expressing political ideas' and has accused the French government and justice minister Christiane Taubiraof of waging 'a real judicial persecution' of her and the Front National. Angelique Chrisafis,Marine Le Pen accuses French government of persecution, The Guardian, 20 October 2015 17.37 BST, accessed 28 October 2015 
Anti-racism and Muslim rights groups had filed a complaint against Le Pen's comments about mass Muslim prayers on French streets in several cities including Paris, which were mostly the result of insufficient mosque space according to the New York Times
Le Pen said that:
:'If you want to talk about the occupation, let’s talk about that, by the way, because here we are talking about the occupation of our space,' she said in 2010. 'It’s an occupation of entire stretches of territory, of neighborhoods where religious law is applied. This is an occupation. Sure, there are no armored vehicles, no soldiers, but it’s still an occupation, and it weighs on the inhabitants.'
Le Pen's parliamentary immunity was lifted in 2013 by the European Parliament in order for the prosecution to proceed.
Human rights groups however expressed outrage over the recommendation by the French state prosecutor Bernard Reynaud during the trial that Le Pen be acquitted as she was 'simply exercising her right to free speech'. Adam Nossiteroct, Marine Le Pen, French National Front Leader, Speaks at Her Hate-Speech Trial 20 October 2015, accessed 27 October 2015 
===Accusations of financial fraud===
In January 2016, a prosecutor specialized in financial crimes opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Marine and Jean-Marie Le Pen deliberately under-reported the value of their financial assets to a government watchdog. Both deny any wrongdoing, although a 2015 report by the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATPV) accused them of making 'serious omissions' in their 2014 declaration of assets. The most notable object under investigation is a mansion in Paris that she and her father both have stakes in. If the investigation concludes in a trial and a conviction, the penalty for under-reporting financial assets can include a three-year prison sentence, a €45,000 fine and 10 years of being barred from running for office. Le Pen's legal headaches, Politico, November 24 2015. Accessed 25 November 2016. 
==Affiliations==
===Parliamentary affiliations 2004-09===
:Member:
:	20.07.2004 / 14.01.2007 : Non-attached Members
:	21.07.2004 / 14.01.2007 : Committee on Culture and Education
:	15.09.2004 / 13.03.2007 : Delegation for relations with Israel
:	15.01.2007 / 13.11.2007 : Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty Group
:	15.01.2007 / 30.01.2007 : Committee on Culture and Education
:	31.01.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
:	14.03.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Delegation for relations with Israel
:	14.11.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Non-attached Members
:	14.07.2009 / ... : Non-attached Members
:	16.07.2009 / ... : Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
:	16.09.2009 / ... : Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
:Substitute:
:	21.07.2004 / 14.01.2007 : Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
:	31.01.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
:	15.03.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand
:	16.07.2009 / ... : Committee on International Trade
:	16.09.2009 / 14.11.2010 : Delegation for relations with CanadaEuropean Parliament, MEP Directory: Marine Le Pen, accessed 30 November 2010.
==Record==
===Declaration of Financial Interests===
Paid Functions or Activities:
*Regional councillor
*Member of European ParliamentEuropean Parliament, Déclaration des Intérêts financiers des députés: Marine Le Pen, 08 January 2009, accessed 29 March 2009.
===Record of Parliamentary Votes===
====Election Campaign 2009====
Marine Le Pen did not pledge to any of the four issues presented by the Election Campaign.Election Campaign, Marine Le Pen, accessed 05 June 2009.
==Personal Information==
===Curriculum Vitae===
*Master's degree in law (specialising in the legal professions), University of Paris II (1990). 
*Postgraduate diploma (DEA) in criminal law (1991). 
*Diploma to practise as a lawyer (1992).
*Lawyer practising in Paris (1992-1998). 
*Director of the National Front Legal Service (1998-2004).
*Member of the central committee of the National Front. 
*Member of the National Front political bureau (2000). 
*Vice-President of the National Front (since 2003).
*Member of the Nord Departmental Council (1998). 
*Member of the Île-de-France Regional Council and group chairwoman on the regional council (since 2004).
*Chairwoman of the Génération Le Pen association.
===Contact===	
:Address:
:Parlement européen
:Bât. Willy Brandt
:04M109
:60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60
:B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel
:Phone:
:+32 (0)2 28 45709
:Fax
:+32 (0)2 28 49709
:Email:
:marine.lepen AT europarl.europa.eu
:Website: 
:http://www.marinelepen.com
==Resources==
*Election Campaign, Marine Le Pen, accessed 05 June 2009.
*European Parliament, Déclaration des Intérêts financiers des députés: Marine Le Pen, 08 January 2009, accessed 29 March 2009.
*European Parliament, MEP Directory: Marine Le Pen, accessed 29 March 2009.
*European Parliament, MEP Directory: Marine Le Pen, accessed 30 November 2010.
==Notes==
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