Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s far-right National Front party, has died aged 96. The former paratrooper was repeatedly convicted over comments about the Holocaust, which he once dismissed as “merely a detail of history”. His daughter Marine Le Pen took the party’s leadership in 2011 and expelled him four years later, seeking to distance the movement from his extremist reputation.
Le Pen’s family said he died at midday on Tuesday surrounded by loved ones. However, it emerged that Marine Le Pen only learned of his death from reporters while flying back from a visit to the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte. The Elysée issued a statement summarizing Le Pen’s political career, describing him as a “historic figure of the far right” who played a role in public life for nearly 70 years.
Le Pen was convicted and fined several times for contesting crimes against humanity and making inflammatory comments about racial groups. His family said he defended “the idea of French greatness with all his soul”. The party has since been renamed the National Rally (RN).
Born on June 20, 1928, Le Pen served in the French Foreign Legion’s parachute regiment during the Algerian war of independence. He was accused of torturing detainees and later denied further accusations, claiming they were part of a left-wing government plot to discredit him.
Le Pen’s legacy remains divisive, with some paying tribute to his contributions to French politics while others condemn his extremist views.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/07/jean-marie-le-pen-french-far-right-leader-dies