PARIS — The grave of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the contentious former leader of the far-right in France, was vandalized just under three weeks after his burial.

Authorities in the Brittany area reported that they became aware of the defacement on Friday, and investigations by the police are currently underway.

Le Pen, who passed away on January 7 at the age of 96, was the founder of the National Front party and was notorious for his sharp anti-immigration and anti-multicultural stance. He was laid to rest in a family plot located in La Trinité-sur-Mer, a small port town in Brittany, on January 11.

In response to the incident, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the act as “an absolute abjection,” emphasizing the principle that respect for the deceased reflects the standards of civilization as opposed to barbarism. He expressed his views on social media platform X.

Authorities in Brittany noted that the cemetery had been under heightened police surveillance around the time of Le Pen’s funeral due to its politically charged nature. However, they indicated that security measures were scaled back following the burial, but in light of this incident, they have decided to reinstate increased police presence at the site “given the exceptional nature” of the vandalism.

Le Pen’s radical ideologies garnered him a dedicated following while simultaneously inviting extensive criticism. His history includes Holocaust denial and multiple convictions for antisemitism, discrimination, and incitement of racial violence. Over the years, he targeted Islam and Muslim immigrants as scapegoats for various economic and social issues facing France.