French Right-wing National Rally Party Hq Raided By Police In 'harassment Operation'

The office of nan French right-wing National Rally statement were raided Wednesday greeting successful Paris successful what its leader is calling a "spectacular and unprecedented" harassment operation. 

"Since 8:50 this morning, nan office of nan National Rally -- including nan offices of its leaders -- person been nan taxable of a hunt carried retired by astir 20 constabulary officers from nan Financial Brigade, equipped and wearing bulletproof vests, accompanied by 2 investigating judges," National Rally President Jordan Bardella said successful a statement. 

"This spectacular and unprecedented cognition is intelligibly portion of a caller harassment operation. It is simply a superior onslaught connected pluralism and antiauthoritarian change," he added. "Never has an guidance statement suffered specified relentless attacks nether nan Fifth Republic." 

Prosecutors said they are investigating allegations of forbidden financing of longtime statement leader Marine Le Pen’s 2022 statesmanlike bid, and nan party's European Parliament and French parliamentary campaigns, according to nan Associated Press. 

FRENCH RIGHT-WING LEADER MARINE LE PEN FOUND GUILTY OF EMBEZZLING PUBLIC FUNDS, BARRED FROM RUNNING FOR OFFICE 

Marine Le Pen, left, and National Rally president Jordan Bardella during a governmental gathering connected June 2, 2024, successful Paris. (AP/Thomas Padilla)

"All emails, documents and accounting records of nan starring guidance statement person been seized, though we do not yet cognize nan precise grievances underlying them," Bardella besides said. "All we cognize is that each nan files concerning nan latest regional, presidential, legislative and European campaigns -- that is, each nan party's electoral activity -- are now successful nan hands of nan courts." 

The Paris prosecutor’s agency said successful a connection to nan AP that searches were carried retired astatine nan National Rally's headquarters, astatine nan office of unidentified companies and astatine nan homes of group starring those companies. 

The searches were prompted by a judicial enquiry opened a twelvemonth agone into a raft of allegations, including fraud, money laundering and forgery, nan prosecutor's agency said. 

The enquiry intends to find whether Le Pen's 2022 statesmanlike campaign, and nan party's campaigns for European Parliament successful 2024 and French parliamentary elections successful 2022, were financed by "illegal loans from individuals for nan use of nan statement aliases National Rally candidates," nan connection said. 

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: AFTERSHOCK FROM A POLITICAL ‘EARTHQUAKE’ AS LE PEN BARRED FROM PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN 2027 

A constabulary serviceman leaves nan National Rally office successful Paris, France, pursuing nan constabulary raids connected Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP/Michel Euler)

The enquiry is besides investigating allegations that nan National Rally overbilled for services aliases billed for fictitious services successful bid to artificially augment nan magnitude of authorities assistance provided to nan statement for its electoral campaigns. 

Authorities raided nan National Party’s office aft Le Pen — runner-up to incumbent President Emmanuel Macron successful 2022 — was convicted of embezzlement successful April. She and 24 different statement officials were accused of having utilized money intended for European Union parliamentary aides to alternatively salary unit who worked for nan statement betwixt 2004 and 2016, violating nan 27-nation bloc’s regulations. 

National Rally personnel of parliament Laurent Jacobelli answers reporters arsenic French constabulary raided nan office of nan far-right party, seizing documents and accounting records, nan party's leader said connected Wednesday, July 9, 2025 successful Paris. (AP/Michel Euler)

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The prosecutor's agency said nary 1 has been charged successful nan latest case, pinch erstwhile statement treasurer Wallerand de Saint-Just telling reporters extracurricular nan office "We did thing wrong.″ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.