Judge who barred France's Le Pen gets police protection as Macron condemns threats

FILE PHOTO: French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, attends the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - The judge who barred far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running in France's 2027 presidential election is under police protection after facing death threats and having her home address shared online, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The address of Benedicte de Perthuis - the head of a three-judge panel that found Le Pen guilty of embezzling EU funds and handed her a five-year ban on seeking public office - was shared online after she delivered her ruling on Monday, the source said. She is now receiving police protection at work and at home.