French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has passed away at the age of 96.
French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has passed away at the age of 96, as confirmed by a family statement released to AFP.
Le Pen, who had been residing in a care facility for several weeks, died on Tuesday at noon "surrounded by his loved ones," according to his family. A Holocaust denier and an unrepentant extremist regarding issues of race, gender, and immigration, Le Pen established the French far-right National Front party in 1972.
He notably advanced to the presidential election runoff against Jacques Chirac in 2002. In 2011, Le Pen's daughter, Marine, assumed leadership of the party, subsequently rebranding it as National Rally, which has since evolved into one of France's principal political entities.
Jean-Marie Le Pen - founder of the French far right and 'Devil of the Republic' Jordan Bardella, who took over as party leader from Marine Le Pen in 2022, remarked that Jean-Marie had "always served France" and "defended its identity and sovereignty."
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Far-right nationalist Eric Zemmour expressed on X that "despite the controversies and scandals," Le Pen would be remembered for being "among the first to alert France to the existential threats that loomed." Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radical left France Unbowed (LFI), stated that while respecting the dignity of the deceased and the sorrow of their family "does not negate the right to evaluate their actions," he found Le Pen's actions "unbearable." He added, "The struggle against the man is over. The fight against the hatred, racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism that he propagated continues." For many years, Le Pen was regarded as one of France's most contentious political figures.
His critics labeled him a far-right bigot, and he faced multiple convictions in court for his radical statements. In 2015, he was expelled from the National Rally after reiterating his notorious Holocaust denial. This expulsion coincided with a public dispute with his daughter, who accused him of reviving Holocaust denial in an attempt to "rescue himself from obscurity."
