The Funeral of Jean-Marie Le Pen
The funeral of the former leader of the French far-right, Jean-Marie Le Pen, took place on Saturday afternoon in his hometown of Trinité-sur-Mer, in the west of the country, in the presence of family and a few close associates, as reported by AFP.
Family and Friends Pay Their Respects
His daughter Marine Le Pen, who took over the reins of the party founded by her father, the National Front (FN), later renamed National Rally (RN), and one of his sisters, Marie-Caroline, followed by other family members, walked the few hundred meters from the family home to the Saint-Joseph church, accompanied by a group of curious onlookers and a few dozen journalists.
Admirers Pay Their Respects
Approximately 200 people entered the church where, for an hour and a half, the funeral service took place, during which a significant police presence was deployed to prevent any incidents.
This precautionary measure was deemed necessary as, on Tuesday evening, several hundred opponents of the deceased politician gathered in several cities across the country, such as Paris, Lyon, and Rennes, to celebrate Le Pen’s death with smoke bombs and fireworks. A banner displayed in Paris read, “The racist scumbag is dead.”
These demonstrations were strongly condemned by the RN, referring to the protesters as “leftist thugs,” as well as by the French government. “Even in death, an opponent deserves respect,” said the government spokesperson.
On Friday, the prefect decided to ban demonstrations in Le Pen’s hometown, citing that the deceased’s personality was “likely to attract a large audience of both supporters and opponents during the religious ceremony and burial.” Jean-Marie Le Pen’s body was placed in the same vault where his parents rest.
“I came to pay tribute to the man who served France and loved France,” said Johann, a 40-year-old man living in a nearby town.
“We came to pay tribute to a great man who had the courage to speak the truth. He was a visionary. He loved France and its people and had values that are being lost, like love for the nation,” added Ludovic, 43 years old.
A 40-Year Political Career
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the French far-right party National Front, passed away at the age of 96, as announced by his family on Tuesday, as reported by the French press. “Jean-Marie Le Pen, surrounded by his family, was called to God on Tuesday at 12:00,” the family said in a statement to AFP.
With a mix of aggressive populism, eloquence, and charisma, Le Pen reshaped the parameters of French politics through a 40-year career that tapped into voters’ dissatisfaction with immigration and job security, foreshadowing the rise of Donald Trump to the White House, according to Reuters. Before “America First,” Trump’s policy, Le Pen’s slogan was “Français d’abord” – “French First.”
Le Pen shook the French political establishment when he unexpectedly reached the second round of the presidential elections against Jacques Chirac in 2002.
He was succeeded at the helm of the party by his daughter, Marine Le Pen, who has since run for president three times and transformed the party, now called National Rally (RN), into one of the country’s main political forces. To achieve this, Marine Le Pen implemented a strategy of “de-demonization,” which included distancing herself from her father’s antisemitic rhetoric and even expelling him from the party.