The founder of France’s far-right National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has away. He was well-known for his vehement anti-immigration and anti-multiculturalism rhetoric, which won him both ardent fans and widespread censure. His age was 96.
In a post on social media site X on Tuesday, Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, as the party is currently named, confirmed Le Pen’s passing.
Le Pen was a divisive character in French politics whose provocative remarks, such as his denial of the Holocaust, resulted in numerous convictions and damaged his political connections.
Le Pen, who once advanced to the second round of the 2002 presidential election, became estranged from his daughter Marine Le Pen, who changed the name of his party to the National Front, expelled him, and turned it into one of France’s most potent political forces while erasing her father’s radical reputation.
Even though Le Pen was kicked out of the party in 2015, his polarizing legacy lives on, influencing the course of the far right and marking decades of French political history.
For his daughter, his passing occurred at a pivotal moment. In the ongoing embezzlement trial, she now faces a possible prison sentence and a prohibition from seeking political office if found guilty.
The fiery Jean-Marie Le Pen, a shrewd political strategist and talented orator, was a mainstay of French politics for decades. He exploited his charm to enthrall audiences with his anti-immigration message.
Under the aegis of the National Front, the stout, silver-haired son of a Breton fisherman saw himself as a man on a mission to preserve French culture. Le Pen made Islam and Muslim immigration his main focus by designating Joan of Arc as the party’s patron saint and holding them responsible for France’s social and economic problems.
A former Foreign Legionnaire and paratrooper who served in Algeria and Indochina, he led supporters into ideological and political conflicts with a style that came to define his career.
Le Pen’s statement at a 1990 party convention, “If I advance, follow me; if I die, avenge me; if I shirk, kill me,” reflected the theatrical approach that for decades fueled followers’ zeal.
Recently, Le Pen was released from prosecution on health reasons from a high-profile trial that began in September over his party’s alleged misappropriation of funds from the European Parliament. Le Pen was previously convicted of eleven offenses, including antisemitic hate speech and violence against a public officer.
As Le Pen’s health deteriorated, his family requested that he be placed under formal guardianship by French court authorities in February, according to French media. His health had been deteriorating for a while.
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