French Far-Right Leader Le Pen Passes Away
The experienced political figure headed the National Front Party, which was later renamed the National Rally, from 1972 until 2011. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the French National Front party, has passed away at the age of 96 in a care facility, as confirmed by his family in a statement reported by national media.
Born in 1928 to a fisherman and a seamstress, Le Pen had a diverse career that included roles as a fisherman, deep-sea miner, and apartment surveyor. He also served twice in the French Foreign Legion’s parachute regiment and participated in significant conflicts such as the Suez crisis in 1956 and the Algerian War in 1957.
Le Pen embarked on his political journey in the 1950s, being elected to the French National Assembly on two occasions between 1956 and 1962. He went on to establish his own party, the National Front, in 1972.
He sought the presidency in France multiple times, specifically in 1974, 1988, 1995, 2002, and 2007, notably finishing second in 2002 with nearly 18% of the vote.
In 1984, Le Pen secured a seat in the European Parliament and was re-elected consistently for nearly two decades until 2003. He returned to the European legislature in 2004, holding his position until 2019.
Throughout his lengthy career, Le Pen garnered significant controversy due to his “far right” views. He was particularly known for his vehement anti-immigration rhetoric, his minimization of the Holocaust, and his praise of Marshal Philippe Petain, who led the collaborationist regime of Vichy France during World War II.
In 2011, Le Pen passed the leadership of the party to his daughter, Marine Le Pen, and took on the role of honorary president. However, he was expelled from the party by Marine four years later after making remarks that described the gas chambers as merely a “detail of history” and suggested that France should align with Russia to protect the "white world."
Following those comments, Marine Le Pen declared that her father was “committing political suicide” with his views on Jews, migrants, sexual minorities, and other subjects. In response, Jean-Marie stated that he would not vote for his daughter in the 2017 presidential election.
Marine Le Pen has since distanced herself and her party from her father's more extreme viewpoints, rebranding the National Front as the National Rally in 2018. Presently, the National Rally and its allies occupy 89 seats in the French National Assembly, making them the second largest opposition group after the left-wing New Popular Front coalition.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
Born in 1928 to a fisherman and a seamstress, Le Pen had a diverse career that included roles as a fisherman, deep-sea miner, and apartment surveyor. He also served twice in the French Foreign Legion’s parachute regiment and participated in significant conflicts such as the Suez crisis in 1956 and the Algerian War in 1957.
Le Pen embarked on his political journey in the 1950s, being elected to the French National Assembly on two occasions between 1956 and 1962. He went on to establish his own party, the National Front, in 1972.
He sought the presidency in France multiple times, specifically in 1974, 1988, 1995, 2002, and 2007, notably finishing second in 2002 with nearly 18% of the vote.
In 1984, Le Pen secured a seat in the European Parliament and was re-elected consistently for nearly two decades until 2003. He returned to the European legislature in 2004, holding his position until 2019.
Throughout his lengthy career, Le Pen garnered significant controversy due to his “far right” views. He was particularly known for his vehement anti-immigration rhetoric, his minimization of the Holocaust, and his praise of Marshal Philippe Petain, who led the collaborationist regime of Vichy France during World War II.
In 2011, Le Pen passed the leadership of the party to his daughter, Marine Le Pen, and took on the role of honorary president. However, he was expelled from the party by Marine four years later after making remarks that described the gas chambers as merely a “detail of history” and suggested that France should align with Russia to protect the "white world."
Following those comments, Marine Le Pen declared that her father was “committing political suicide” with his views on Jews, migrants, sexual minorities, and other subjects. In response, Jean-Marie stated that he would not vote for his daughter in the 2017 presidential election.
Marine Le Pen has since distanced herself and her party from her father's more extreme viewpoints, rebranding the National Front as the National Rally in 2018. Presently, the National Rally and its allies occupy 89 seats in the French National Assembly, making them the second largest opposition group after the left-wing New Popular Front coalition.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
