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Le Pen Stripped of Immunity
European lawmakers stripped French National Front leader Marine Le Pen of her parliamentary immunity Tuesday, paving the way for the far-right leader to face a probe over alleged anti-Muslim comments.The vote at the European Parliament in Strasbourg was by a show of hands with a clear majority in favor. It confirmed a decision by the Parliament's legal affairs committee last month to recommend lifting her immunity. Ms. Le Pen, who has been a European lawmaker since 2004, was in parliament for the vote. Her father, former National Front leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen also attended. Ms. Le Pen finished third in last year's French presidential election, scoring the highest percentage of the vote the National Front has ever received in the first round of the vote. After parliament's decision on Tuesday, the National Front said in a statement that the lawmakers decision "reflects the terrible anxiety of an elite against a responsible politician who has the courage to tell the truth to her compatriots." In a television interview after the vote Ms. Le Pen said she stood by her comments. "I take responsibility for them and I will go and defend them before the court," she said. The lawmaker who sponsored the vote, Swedish member of parliament Cecilia Wikström from the Liberal ALDE group, welcomed the result. "I am pleased that the European Parliament with a wide majority chose to follow my recommendation, namely to waive the immunity of Marine Le Pen. Now it's up to the French judiciary to try her case," Ms. Wikström said. Posted by: tipper 2013-07-02 |
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