Far right leader Marine Le Pen to be prosecuted for racism after comparing Muslims praying in street to Nazi occupation of France Ms Le Pen, 44, had her immunity from prosecution lifted by European Parliament The Front National leader has since defended her comments and said she expected the ruling She has described the prosecution as intimidation and said she 'says what all French people think By Peter Allen and Steve Nolan Far right views: Front National leader Marine Le Pen could stand trial for racism after the European Parliament lifted her immunity from prosecution Far right French leader Marine Le Pen is likely to stand trial for racism after comparing Muslims praying in the street to the Nazi occupation of France. Ms Le Pen, 44, risks prosecution after the European Parliament today decided to lift her immunity from prosecution for inciting racial hatred. She could now follow int the footsteps of her father Jean Marie Le Pen who was convicted of racism. Front National leader Ms Le Pen is also an MEP, and under European Parliament rules anyone is technically allowed to say what they like without the risk of prosecution. But the rules state that "immunity cannot be claimed when a member is found in the act of committing a (criminal) offence." Prosecutors in France opened a case against Ms Le Pen for incitement to hatred and discrimination after her comments in 2011. The chief prosecutor in Lyon, in eastern France, asked MEPs to remove Ms Le Pen's immunity after she said her country was seeing "more and more veils" and "more and more burkas" and "after that came prayers in the streets." In a speech broadcast on French television, she added: "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. The words went down particularly badly among France's six million plus Muslim community - the largest in western Europe. Ms Le Pen took 17.9 per cent of the vote in the first round of the French presidential election last year, and is a hugely influential politician. Praying in the streets was banned in Paris in 2011 in response to growing Far-Right protests, and a burka ban was also introduced. Influence: Ms Le Pen took 17.9 per cent of the vote in the first round of the French presidential election last year, and is a hugely influential politician Speaking on French TV on Tuesday, Ms Le Pen defended her remarks, saying she expected to 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 prosecution as "intimidation," saying she "dared to say what all the French people think." Jean-Marie Le Pen, Ms Le Pen's father, was stripped of his immunity by European Parliament in 1997 and was later fined by a German court for underplaying the horror of the Holocaust. He also dismissed the Nazi gas chambers as "a detail" of history. Despite his views, Mr Le Pen was runner up to Jacques Chirac in the 2002 presidential election contest in France.