Macron's party sues Le Pen over campaign slogan

Key facts

• Emmanuel Macron's party, Renaissance, is suing Marine Le Pen over her campaign slogan.
• The slogan "For France, the Renaissance" is accused of appropriating the party's name and identity.
• Le Pen denies any connection, stating her campaign seeks a "renaissance" for France.
• Renaissance champions a humanist, European, and republican vision.
• Marine Le Pen is leading in first-round presidential election polls.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron’s party, Renaissance, is suing far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen for allegedly using its name in her campaign slogan, "For France, the Renaissance." The centrist party claims the slogan constitutes an "unauthorized appropriation of its political identity and trademarks."

Le Pen, who is running for president again after a court cleared her to compete despite a past embezzlement conviction she denies and is appealing, unveiled a poster and website featuring the new slogan. Renaissance stated that its identity, which has defined the movement since 2019, cannot be used to confuse voters.

Renaissance, led by former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, champions a humanist, European, and republican vision. Le Pen, however, denied any connection to Macron's party, explaining that the slogan was chosen because her campaign's meaning is to work for the "renaissance" of France's institutions. Recent polls indicate Le Pen is leading comfortably in the first round of the presidential election, scheduled for April 18, 2027.