Editing National Rally (section)

=== Czecho-Russian bank loan ===
In November 2014, Marine Le Pen confirmed that the party had received a €9 million loan from the First Czech Russian Bank (FCRB) in Moscow to the National Front.<ref>{{cite news|title=Europe is trying to keep Russia from influencing its elections|url=https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21720665-france-and-germany-fear-propaganda-and-espionage-favouring-pro-kremlin-candidates-europe-trying|access-date=14 April 2017|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=12 April 2017|archive-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413184953/http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21720665-france-and-germany-fear-propaganda-and-espionage-favouring-pro-kremlin-candidates-europe-trying|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MP141127">{{cite news |url=http://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/international/271114/far-right-front-nationals-russian-loan-31-mln-euros-more-follow |title=Far-right Front National's Russian loan: '31 mln euros more to follow' |work=[[Mediapart]] |first=Marine |last=[[Marine Turchi|Turchi]] |date=27 November 2014 |access-date=31 January 2015 |archive-date=14 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114091645/https://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/international/271114/far-right-front-nationals-russian-loan-31-mln-euros-more-follow |url-status=live }}</ref> Senior FN officials from the party's political bureau informed [[Mediapart]] that this was the first instalment of a €40 million loan, although Marine Le Pen has disputed this.{{r|Ind141127}}{{r|MP141127}} ''[[The Independent]]'' said the loans "take Moscow's attempt to influence the internal politics of the EU to a new level".{{r|Ind141127}} [[Reinhard Bütikofer]] stated, "It's remarkable that a political party from the motherland of freedom can be funded by Putin's sphere—the largest European enemy of freedom".<ref name="DW141129">{{cite news |url=http://www.dw.de/is-the-kremlin-financing-europes-right-wing-populists/a-18101352 |title=Is the Kremlin financing Europe's right-wing populists? |first=Sabrina |last=Pabst |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |date=29 November 2014 |access-date=31 January 2015 |archive-date=16 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216001401/http://www.dw.de/is-the-kremlin-financing-europes-right-wing-populists/a-18101352 |url-status=live }}</ref> Marine Le Pen argued that it was not a [[donation]] from the Russian government but a loan from a private Russian bank because no other bank would give her a loan. This loan is meant to prepare future electoral campaigns and to be repaid progressively. Marine Le Pen has publicly disclosed all the rejection letters that French banks have sent to her concerning her loan requests.<ref name="leparisien1">{{cite web|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/politique/pret-russe-au-fn-marine-le-pen-publie-les-refus-des-banques-francaises-08-12-2014-4357529.php|title=Prêt russe au FN : Marine Le Pen publie les refus des banques françaises|date=8 December 2014|website=[[Le Parisien]]|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=17 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317171026/http://www.leparisien.fr/politique/pret-russe-au-fn-marine-le-pen-publie-les-refus-des-banques-francaises-08-12-2014-4357529.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Since November 2014, she insists that if a French bank agrees to give her a loan, she would break her contract with the FCBR, but she has not received any other counter-propositions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2014/11/23/marine-le-pen-justifie-le-pret-russe-du-fn_4528041_823448.html|title=Marine Le Pen justifie le prêt russe du FN|last=Mestre|first=Abel|date=23 November 2014|work=Le Monde|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=26 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326234351/http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2014/11/23/marine-le-pen-justifie-le-pret-russe-du-fn_4528041_823448.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Le Pen accused the banks of collusion with the government.<ref name="leparisien1" /> In April 2015, a Russian hacker group published texts and emails between Timur Prokopenko, a member of Putin's administration, and Konstantin Rykov, a former Duma deputy with ties to France, discussing Russian financial support to the National Front in exchange for its support of [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Russia's annexation of Crimea]], though this has not coalesced.<ref name="Monde150403">{{cite news |url=http://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2015/04/02/fn-des-hackers-russes-devoilent-des-echanges-au-kremlin_4608660_4355770.html |title=Financement du FN : des hackers russes dévoilent des échanges au Kremlin |language=fr |trans-title=Financing of the National Front: Russian hackers unveil contacts with the Kremlin |work=[[Le Monde]] |date=3 April 2015 |access-date=4 April 2015 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404133319/http://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2015/04/02/fn-des-hackers-russes-devoilent-des-echanges-au-kremlin_4608660_4355770.html |url-status=live }}</ref>