Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s National Front party, died on Tuesday at the age of 96.
Le Pen had been a controversial figure in French politics since he first entered the National Assembly in the 1950s. His supporters said he had championed French identity and the nation’s sovereignty while his critics accused him of being anti-Semitic, of promoting discriminatory policies, and of inciting racial violence.
French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement that said Le Pen “played a role in the public life of our country for almost 70 years, which is now a matter for history to judge.”
Le Pen led the National Front for nearly 40 years, with his biggest success coming in the 2002 presidential election when he reached the second round of voting, eventually losing to Jacques Chirac by a resounding 64 percentage points.
Le Pen was a former paratrooper and member of the French Foreign Legion, fighting in Indochina and Algeria. He lost an eye in his youth and wore an eyepatch at certain times in his life.
Le Pen came under fire in 1987 for referring to Nazi gas chambers as a “detail in World War II history” in a radio interview. He was convicted in French courts a number of times for similar comments he made over the years.
Marine Le Pen, his daughter and political heir, assumed leadership of the National Front party in 2012. She advanced to the second round of both the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, losing to Macron both times. She has been serving in the National Assembly since 2017, and was previously a member of the European Parliament.
“It closes a chapter of our movement, but it opens a new and better one that will not be less glorious,” Marine Le Pen said at the time.
Marine Le Pen was reportedly inspecting damage from Cyclone Chido in the French territory of Mayotte when she received the news of her father’s death.
