Jean-Marie Le Pen, the long-standing leader of France’s far-right movement, has passed away at the age of 96, as confirmed by his family to AFP.
According to a family statement, Mr. Le Pen, who had been residing in a care facility for several weeks, passed away around midday “surrounded by his loved ones.”
Over a career that spanned four decades, he played a pivotal role in reshaping the landscape of French politics.
Mr. Le Pen, who co-founded the National Front, created a stir in France in 2002 when he advanced to the second round of the presidential election with a strong anti-immigration stance.
He claimed that the increasing prominence of far-right ideologies across Europe indicated that his views had entered the mainstream.
Frequently accused of racism and anti-Semitism, he notoriously downplayed the Holocaust as merely a detail of history.
In 2011, his daughter Marine Le Pen took over the leadership of the party, expelling him four years later in an effort to distance her movement from his extremist legacy.
The party, now known as the National Rally (RN), has made notable progress.
Jean-Marie Le Pen with his daughter Marine
It achieved strong results in last year’s European Parliament elections and emerged as the largest single party in a subsequent general election in France.
Jordan Bardella, the RN party chief and a close associate of Ms. Le Pen, offered a measured tribute stating that Mr. Le Pen had “always served France.”
“As a soldier in the French army during Indochina and Algeria, as a voice for the people in the National Assembly and the European Parliament, he consistently served France and defended its identity and sovereignty,” the 29-year-old expressed on X.
“Today, I find myself reflecting with sorrow on his family, his loved ones, and especially Marine, whose grief must be honored.”
