France's Front National party leader Marine Le Pen is on trial for hate speech charges in Lyon, France on Tuesday after she likened the practice of Muslims praying on city streets to the Nazi occupation.
The trial could define her political party for years to come.
The charges stem from a 2010 Front National rally in Lyon, when Le Pen was battling to lead the party. French Muslims had begun to pray on city streets because they couldn't find enough room inside French prayer spaces, a practice Le Pen said was akin to "occupation of territory."
"For sure, there are no tanks, no soldiers, but it's an occupation all the same and it weighs on people," she said at the time.
Le Pen became president of the far-right party, and Paris banned the use of public space for prayer in 2011. But Le Pen is now on trial after four human rights and anti-racism organizations brought charges against her. The groups have accused her of inciting hatred against people because of their religious beliefs, according to The Guardian.
The chief prosecutor's office in Lyon got the European Parliament to waive Le Pen's political immunity in 2013, allowing the human rights and anti-racism groups to file charges against her.
If convicted, she faces up to one year in jail and a fine of around $51,000.
Despite the charges, Le Pen is credited by many with toning down the hateful rhetoric her party was known for under her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Her critics say she has simply swapped the anti-Semitic sentiments of her father for anti-Muslim speech that is more politically popular today.
The trial starts just two months before regional elections, a key moment for the future of the Front National party. Le Pen may use her appearance in court to say the party is not anti-Muslim, but favors secularism and free speech.
She has already said it is "scandalous to be prosecuted for having a political opinion in the country of freedom of expression."