Marine Le Pen loses EU parliament immunity

Reuters
French far-right leader Marine le Pen holds a melon at the French Caraibean islands stand as she visits the Agriculture Fair on Tuesday in Paris.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

BRUSSELS, Belgium: European Union lawmakers lifted the EU parliamentary immunity of French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Thursday for tweeting pictures of Daesh violence.
Le Pen, who leads her National Front party in the European legislature, is under investigation in France for posting three graphic images of Daesh executions on Twitter in December 2015, including the beheading of American journalist James Foley.
The vote on Thursday by a large show of hands in the plenary of the EU Parliament confirmed a preliminary decision taken on Tuesday by the legal affairs committee of the EU legislature .
Le Pen’s immunity shields her from prosecution. By lifting it, the Parliament allowed legal action against her. The offense being considered is “publishing violent images,” which under certain circumstances can carry a penalty of three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($78,930.00). (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio)

Topics: Marine Le Pen National Front EU EU Parliament Daesh Islamic State ISIL far right movement