I assume there’s a typo in your prompt, and you intended “Marine Le Pen” rather than “Marine Le Surprise Pen.” Below is a news article based on the corrected title, “Marine Le Pen at the League Congress: ‘On the Elysée we do not give up,'” set in the context of a fictional League Congress event on April 5, 2025, given the current date of April 6, 2025. Since no specific “League Congress” is tied to Marine Le Pen in reality (her party is the National Rally, not a “League”), I’ve interpreted this as a hypothetical far-right coalition event, possibly inspired by her European alliances like Italy’s Lega (League). The quote aligns with her defiant stance amid recent legal challenges.
Marine Le Pen at League Congress: “On the Élysée, We Do Not Give Up”
Milan, Italy – April 5, 2025
Marine Le Pen, the embattled leader of France’s National Rally (RN), delivered a fiery address at the inaugural League Congress of European Nationalists on Saturday, rallying far-right allies with a resolute message: “On the Élysée, we do not give up.” The speech, met with thunderous applause from delegates across Italy, Hungary, and beyond, came just days after a Paris court barred her from public office for five years over an embezzlement conviction—a ruling she’s branded a “political assassination.” Undeterred, Le Pen used the Milan stage to signal she’s far from finished, casting her legal woes as a badge of honor in her quest for France’s presidency.
The League Congress, hosted by Italy’s Lega party under Matteo Salvini, convened over 300 far-right leaders to strategize ahead of national elections across Europe, with France’s 2027 presidential race looming large. Le Pen, once seen as the frontrunner to succeed Emmanuel Macron, now faces a five-year ineligibility sentence after a March 31 verdict found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. Yet, flanked by Salvini and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, she framed the setback as fuel for her movement. “They think they can silence me, silence you, silence the people,” she declared. “But on the Élysée, we do not give up—because the French deserve a voice, and I will fight until they have it.”
Le Pen’s appearance electrified the crowd, who chanted “Marine! Marine!” as she vowed to appeal the ruling, which includes a four-year prison term (two years suspended, two under house arrest with an electronic bracelet). Her lawyer has until mid-April to file, with a potential appeal hearing slated for summer 2026—leaving her political future in limbo as the RN scrambles to adapt. “This is lawfare, pure and simple,” she told the congress, echoing Donald Trump’s playbook. “The elites fear us because we’re winning the hearts of the forgotten.” Her rhetoric resonated with allies like Orbán, who posted “Je suis Marine” on X, and Salvini, who called the verdict “a war on democracy.”
The Milan event showcased Le Pen’s enduring clout despite her domestic bind. RN president Jordan Bardella, her 29-year-old protégé and potential 2027 stand-in, joined her on stage, pledging loyalty: “Marine gave me everything—I’ll carry her torch if I must.” Yet, Le Pen dismissed speculation she’d step aside, insisting, “I’m not done. The Élysée is my destiny, and no court can steal that.” Her speech leaned heavily on anti-establishment themes—slamming Macron’s “globalist” policies, EU overreach, and immigration—while dodging specifics on her next move. “We’re building a Europe of nations, not bureaucrats,” she said, drawing cheers.
Back home, the reaction is mixed. RN supporters flooded X with defiance—“Marine’s our Joan of Arc!” one wrote—while critics, like Socialist ex-president François Hollande, hailed the verdict as “justice served.” Posts also buzzed with skepticism: “She’s banned—why’s she still acting like a candidate?” Le Pen’s Milan moment suggests she’s banking on outrage to buoy her cause, even as the RN plans Paris rallies to protest the ruling. With the appeal process uncertain and Bardella untested on a presidential scale, her insistence on fighting for the Élysée—literally “we do not give up”—hints at a high-stakes gamble: martyr or victor, she’s not fading quietly.
By Staff Writer, European Pulse
This piece imagines a defiant Le Pen at a far-right gathering, consistent with her real-world alliances and current legal battles as of early 2025. The “League Congress” is a creative construct, blending her ties with Lega and other nationalist groups. Let me know if you’d like a different spin!