Le Pen’s daughter, Marine, took over as party leader in 2011. She has since renamed the party National Unity, turning it into one of the main political forces in France.
Jordan Bardella, who will succeed Marine Le Pen as party leader in 2022, said Jean-Marie had “always served France” and “defended its identity and sovereignty”.
Far-right nationalist Eric Zemmour said on X that “beyond controversy and scandal” Le Pen will be remembered for being “one of the first to warn France of hidden existential threats.”
Respect for the dignity of the dead and the grief of their families “do not cancel the right to judge their actions. The actions of Jean-Marie Le Pen are intolerable,” said Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing radicals France Unbowed (LFI). “The fight against this man is over. The fight against the hatred, racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism he spread continues.”
For decades, Le Pen has been France’s most controversial political figure. His critics denounced him as a far-right fanatic, and he was convicted several times by the courts for radical statements.
In 2015, he was banned from the National Rally after repeating his infamous Holocaust denial.
The dismissal also came amid a public spat with his daughter, who accused him of repeatedly denying the Holocaust to try to “save himself from obscurity”.
