Home All 50 US States French far-right figure Marine Le Pen honors her controversial father

French far-right figure Marine Le Pen honors her controversial father

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PARIS — On Wednesday, Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right political movement, honored her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who passed away at the age of 96. She referred to her father, the founder of the National Front party, as a “warrior” in the political arena, highlighting the complex and often contentious dynamics of their relationship as she sought to reshape the party’s image.

In a tribute shared on social media platform X, Marine reflected on their relationship, stating, “A venerable age had taken the warrior away but given us back our father,” signaling a possibility of reconciliation in their later years. Jean-Marie, who had three daughters including Marine, was known for his controversial and polarizing nature and had faced multiple convictions related to antisemitism and inciting racial violence. She expressed her grief in her tribute, adding, “Many people he loved are waiting for him up there. Many who love him mourn him here below. Fair winds and following seas, Papa!”

The announcement of Jean-Marie Le Pen’s passing came as Marine was returning from the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, which had recently suffered a severe cyclone.

Marine Le Pen is seen as a prominent candidate for the 2027 presidential race in France, having finished second to President Emmanuel Macron in the last two elections. However, her political future is uncertain as she awaits a court decision scheduled for March 31 regarding allegations of misappropriation of European Parliament funds. A guilty verdict could hinder her eligibility to run for public office.

The accusations against Marine and other party members involve the misuse of funds intended for EU parliamentary assistants, where they allegedly redirected money to support party staff from 2004 to 2016, violating regulations set by the 27-nation bloc.

Following the announcement of Jean-Marie Le Pen’s death, thousands gathered at the Republic Plaza in Paris for demonstrations that appeared to celebrate his passing. Protesters were seen celebrating with dances and chants of “Happy New Year, Jean-Marie is dead.” Similar scenes unfolded in other cities such as Lyon and Marseille.

The anti-racist organization SOS Racisme criticized Jean-Marie’s legacy, citing his lifetime dedication to advancing far-right ideologies through racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial. The group issued a tribute to those who have devoted their efforts to combating the National Front and its ideas.

The public disputes between father and daughter were noted in the past, particularly after Jean-Marie infamously referred to the Nazi gas chambers as merely a “detail in World War II history” in 1987. His reiteration of this sentiment in 2015 drew anger from Marine, who by then had taken the helm of the party and was attempting to distance it from her father’s extremist reputation. In the same year, Jean-Marie was expelled from the party, which Marine had rebranded as the National Rally in efforts to transform it into a mainstream political entity.

Following his expulsion, Jean-Marie described the action as a “felony” and insisted that Marine relinquish the family name, arguing against her continued use of “Le Pen.” He even pursued legal action to reverse his exclusion, although those efforts proved unsuccessful. In an interview, Marine commented on the emotional difficulty of her decision, stating, “I had such profound disagreements on that topic with my own father that I had to exclude him from the movement. It was complicated for me emotionally, but I did it.”

Jean-Marie Le Pen’s funeral is scheduled to take place in La Trinite-sur-Mer, his hometown located in the Brittany region of western France, on Saturday.