The European Parliament has lifted the immunity of the French far-right leader and MEP Marine Le Pen, paving the way for her prosecution in France.

Speaking to the French broadcaster LCI on Tuesday Le Pen defended her remarks, saying she would lose her parliamentary immunity "because I'm a dissident".

“I'm not at all afraid of it, I'm scornful of it".

She described the move against her as "intimidation" and said she had "dared to say what all the French people think".

French prosecutors opened a case against Marine Le Pen in 2011 after she compared Muslims praying in the streets to the Nazi occupation of France.

Le Pen, leader of the National Front (FN), is accused of incitement to hatred and discrimination.

In her speech, broadcast by French media, she said that first France had seen "more and more veils", then "more and more burkas" and "after that came prayers in the streets... I'm sorry, but some people are very fond of talking about the Second World War and about the occupation, so let's talk about occupation, because that is what is happening here... There are no tanks, no soldiers, but it is still an occupation, and it weighs on people".

Le Pen took 17.9% of the vote in the first round of the French presidential election last year.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!