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[Lime]

Revelations that Marine Le Pen tried to borrow a further €3 million from Russia pose questions on Kremlin interference in the French vote.

Mediapart, a French investigative website, revealed on Friday (31 March) that Le Pen, the French anti-EU and far-right candidate, agreed to borrow the funds in order to finance her campaign.

The website published an internal document of her National Front party, showing that she and party chiefs on 15 June last year decided to borrow €3 million from Strategy Bank in Russia at a rate of 6 percent per year.

It said the “purpose of the borrowed money” was “financing the electoral campaign”.

Mediapart also published a second National Front document, which said the funds were to be used for election “expenses” and were to be wired to a bank account opened in Le Pen’s name.

Le Pen, whose surprise meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week caused a stir, declined to comment.

The party’s treasurer, Wallerand de Saint-Just, who told press last week that he was not asking Russia for more money, told Mediapart that the €3 million loan was “just a project, which did not have any follow-up”.

Mediapart did not say whether the National Front received the money and did not give information about Strategy Bank.

The revelations come after Le Pen and her father admitted last year to having previously borrowed €11 million from a different Russian bank.

Fears of Russian election-meddling in Europe were heightened after Moscow was accused of having swayed the outcome of the US vote via hacking and media disinformation.

Le Pen is neck-and-neck in polls with the centrist, pro-EU candidate Emmanuel Macron for the first round of the presidential vote on 23 April.

He has been targeted by Russian hackers and accused of being secretly gay, an agent of US banks, and of being an agent of Saudi Arabia in French-language Russian media.

Speaking to EUobserver in an interview on Thursday, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian former oil chief who was jailed after trying to enter politics, said Putin saw Le Pen as a “realistic chance to destroy the EU”.

Even if the EU could politically survive France leaving the bloc, as Le Pen wants it to, Khodorkovsky added that a French EU exit would, for Putin, also mean that “the EU would have no more nuclear weapons”.

France and the UK, the latter of which started EU exit talks this week, are the only nuclear-armed EU countries.

More at the link, including reassurances by Finland about Putin and Putin himself: https://euobserver.com/elections/137459

 

[BY2K]

For Fuck's sake.

 

[Corky]

Come on people of France, don't do the same mistake...

 

[veryslowhand]

French people please don't let it happen

 

[ItIsOkBro]

Everything was Russia

 

[Linkark07]

Hopefully, French are more intelligent and less prone to do stupid choices.

 

[FreezeSSC]

Is the French media calling her out on this? They need to go full blown McCarthy on her.

 

[Saganator]

It's like Russia has declared quasi-war on the US and EU and we still don't even realize we're getting hit.

 

[Oreiller]

Hopefully, French are more intelligent and less prone to do stupid choices.

lol, we never do anything when our leaders get caught doing illegal or shady stuff. Le Pen might even gain a burst of popularity because she's being attacked by the "corrupt mainstream media" who are obviously part of a leftist conspiracy.

 

[HazySaiyan]

Just look at how many populist movements across the Western world Russia has influenced in some way. Why aren't people waking up to this?

 

[oldboss]

Hopefully, French are more intelligent and less prone to do stupid choices.

eh ? ha.. haha.. hahahahahaha ... hahahahahahahahaaaaaaa...

Thanks for the good laugh. Let's hope so indeed.

 

[jelly]

French people please don't let it happen

Has something changed, I thought we weren't worried about Le Pen because of the way the voting goes at the second stage.

 

[Lime]

Just look at how many populist movements across the Western world Russia has influenced in some way. Why aren't people waking up to this?

In a way, it doesn't really matter where these movements are getting funding from, the matter at hand is that a significant part of the population is willing to vote for neo-fascists regardless of where they get funding from.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

Just look at how many populist movements across the Western world Russia has influenced in some way. Why aren't people waking up to this?

Have you ever met a brown person? I hear they can beam sharia straight into you by smearing hummus on your lunch.

 

[Xando]

Has something changed, I thought we weren't worried about Le Pen because of the way the voting goes at the second stage.

She's still down ~30% compared to macron in the second round

 

[Linkark07]

eh ? ha.. haha.. hahahahahaha ... hahahahahahahahaaaaaaa...

Thanks for the good laugh. Let's hope so indeed.

Positive thoughts... Lets have positive thoughts... I wish.

 

[Oreiller]

Has something changed, I thought we weren't worried about Le Pen because of the way the voting goes at the second stage.

With that whole mess with Fillon, she might actually win the second round if they both win the first round. She probably won't if she faces Macron though.

 

[Alx]

Just look at how many populist movements across the Western world Russia has influenced in some way. Why aren't people waking up to this?

I think many people are aware of it, but it's not really easy to counter. It's not illegal to borrow money from banks, even Russian ones. And a lot of the suspected action from Russia happens through third parties, whether it's for cyber-attacks or social media propaganda. It's not always easy to trace it back to the source in time, and you always take the risk of getting into conspiracy theories if anything suspicious is labeled "from the Russians".

Has something changed, I thought we weren't worried about Le Pen because of the way the voting goes at the second stage.

It's still the case, but since there are no strong candidates in the race and the turn out may be on a historical low, there is still room for the lines to move. Le Pen being elected is highly unlikely, but not impossible, so we have to be cautious.

 

[Mindwipe]

I watched her interview with Emily Maitliss from the BBC the other day. It was just ludicrous to the extent she was obviously compromised. Crazy.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Is it even allowed to take money from a different country's bank to run a political campaign? WTF France.

 

[Joni]

Should introduce European Union rules against non-European Union funds to be used for political campaigns. It will also immediately kill half of the anti-European Union parties.

 

[Xando]

Just look at how many populist movements across the Western world Russia has influenced in some way. Why aren't people waking up to this?

It's not the whole western world. If you look at Germany the far right populist party (which is also in bed with putin) is down to it's lowest level since before the refugee crisis at 7% according to newest polls

 

[FullMetaltech]

Russia reminds me of Hydra. They seem to have thier hands in alot of places. Scary to think where else theyve reached.

 

[Slayven]

I am going to assume all right wing parties are Russian back for now on, them and Jill Stein

 

[fredrancour]

Just look at how many populist movements across the Western world Russia has influenced in some way. Why aren't people waking up to this?

western democracies are kind of afraid of the precedent of persecuting political opponents too aggressively.

see for comparison: obama keeping the russia-trump stuff quiet before the election. the FBI and now hopefully the senate committee are building a thorough legal case because turning into another putin-like regime in order to reduce putin's influence kind of defeats the point.

 

[WedgeX]

I am going to assume all right wing parties are Russian back for now on, them and Jill Stein

Seems a safe assumption.

Who would have seen this coming in the 80s?

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Welp atleast they are not hiding it.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

What a surprise.
The election can't come soon enough, I want this shit to be over with. I just got my electoral card in the mail two day ago so I'm ready to go. I registered the day Trump was elected so hopefully there are other people like me who got a wake up call.

 

[Mimosa97]

Is the French media calling her out on this? They need to go full blown McCarthy on her.

Right wing voters don't give a fuck about what the media says.

 

[LegendofJoe]

I was discussing with my brother the other day that if France elects Le Pen NATO is finished. War in the Baltics will not be far behind.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

It's like Russia has declared quasi-war on the US and EU and we still don't even realize we're getting hit.

Most realize it. The real question is do they care.

 

[oti]

Is there nothing in French or German law prohibiting foreign funding? Nothing? How's that possible?

 

[KernelPanic]

Most realize it. The real question is do they care.

I don't think supporters really realize what it means and thus don't care. Watching the US Senate Comittee was the best discourse so far on what it means.

 

[Alx]

Is there nothing in French or German law prohibiting foreign funding? Nothing? How's that possible?

Don't know about Germany, but in France there are very strong laws about private fundings. An individual cannot give more than 7500€ a year to a candidate, and funding by external governments is a no-no.
Banks are none of those though, and it's their business to lend money to whomever asks for it. I supppose it could be possible to only allow some banks and not others, but it may not be an easy task to explain who makes the list and who doesn't.

 

[Big Nikus]

Right wing voters don't give a fuck about what the media says.

Yep... my fiancés's father doesn't give a shit about the media and just reads shitty conspiracy websites. When I saw this happen in the US I thought "hah, no way in hell people here will be that gullible".
Well, turns out stupidity is everywhere.

 

[Usobuko]

Russia won.

 

[jaxom]

Banks are none of those though, and it's their business to lend money to whomever ask for it. I supppose it could be possible to only allow some banks and not others, but it may not be an easy task to explain who makes the list and who doesn't.

And that's a stupid loophole that our politics never wanted to close and now it bites. Besides lepen, when other French politics were taking a lot of flights to qatar, it was not for sightseeing.

 

[oti]

Don't know about Germany, but in France there are very strong laws about private fundings. An individual cannot give more than 7500€ a year to a candidate, and funding by external governments is a no-no.
Banks are none of those though, and it's their business to lend money to whomever asks for it. I supppose it could be possible to only allow some banks and not others, but it may not be an easy task to explain who makes the list and who doesn't.

This makes me wonder what Le Pen's plan is to pay back those Russian loans in the case she loses.

 

[Xando]

This makes me wonder what Le Pen's plan is to pay back those Russian loans in the case she loses.

Le Pen wants to leave the euro and dismantle the EU.

Killing the EU is basically FSB/GRU/SWR and Putins wetdream

 

[oti]

Le Pen wants to leave the euro and dismantle the EU.

Killing the EU is basically FSB/GRU and Putins wetdream

Sure. But if (let's hope when) she loses, how will the FN make all that money back? Russian banks won't just go "oh well, you don't need to pay it back mon chérie".

 

[PJV3]

Can someone cut off Russia's Internet and make them stand in the naughty corner for a few years.

 

[Xando]

Sure. But if (let's hope when) she loses, how will the FN make all that money back? Russian banks won't just go "oh well, you don't need to pay it back mon chérie".

They gonna continue to fund her until she wins or they go broke.

 

[Jackpot]

Sure. But if (let's hope when) she loses, how will the FN make all that money back? Russian banks won't just go "oh well, you don't need to pay it back mon chérie".

They probably see it as a worthwhile investment in disruption and eroding public trust.

 

[Alx]

Sure. But if (let's hope when) she loses, how will the FN make all that money back? Russian banks won't just go "oh well, you don't need to pay it back mon chérie".

Well apparently she already has troubles paying back some of her previous loans... But generally speaking, candidates are quite good at taking benefit from the current system, where all candidates with enough votes get a refund of half of their expenses (which would mean 10M€ max, since they're not allowed to spend more than 20M&#8364.

 

[KonradLaw]

As much as I don't like her..what else was she supposed to do when french banks declined her the loan? Should banks decide who gets to run for president?

 

[M3d10n]

Divide et impera

That strategy is over two fucking thousands years old. Has everyone gone stupid?

 

[CTLance]

Quelle surprise.

Divide et impera

That strategy is over two fucking thousands years old. Has everyone gone stupid?

No, just complacent.

Personally, I like to blame EU intelligence agencies though. So much negligence and incompetence.

 

[ClosingADoor]

Can we get some competent politicians in these countries to win over the votes that are now going to these clowns?

As much as I don't like her..what else was she supposed to do when french banks declined her the loan? Should banks decide who gets to run for president?

There are about 200 other countries with banks outside of Russia to try first.

 

[Funky Papa]

Is there nothing in French or German law prohibiting foreign funding? Nothing? How's that possible?

There was a recent article over Euroactiv (I think it was Euroactiv) about how Europe has been fairly calm in this particular aspect, so few countries saw the need to regulate funding in a way that could impede the intervention of foreign actors. And now bunch of those that didn't are quite bothered by their lack of foresight.

One exception is Spain, which hurried to regulate it over two decades ago, but only after it was found that German industrialist Friedrich Karl Flick syphoned large amounts of money towards Spain's PSOE (bunch of sorry, stillborn socialdemocrats) as a way to counter the rise of the PCE (old timey eurocommunists).

 

[Zvonimir Boban]

Can we get some competent politicians in these countries to win over the votes that are now going to these clowns?

It's not just a matter of competent politicians. The world is full of hateful bigots and even if le Pen disappears off the face of the Earth, a lot of those votes will shift to the next racist shithead regardless of how competent the other options are.