Jean-Marie Le Pen, Founder of France‘s National Rally, Dies at 96
The founder of France’s far-right National Rally party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has passed away, the party announced on Sunday. Le Pen, who was the party’s president from its inception in 1972 (initially known as National Front), was 96 years old.
A former member of the French army during World War II, Le Pen founded the party with a strong nationalistic and populist agenda. He was ousted from the party in 2015 following controversial remarks about the Holocaust and the Nazi gas chambers. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, who later took over the party leadership, orchestrated his expulsion.
Le Pen maintained aenerate following among his supporters, even after his ouster, and remained a vocal critic of immigration and France’s membership in the European Union. He consistently promoted far-right policies and was known for his inflammatory rhetoric.
In a statement on the social media platform Telegram, National Rally’s chief, Jordan Bardella, confirmed Le Pen’s passing. Le Pen was born in La Trinité-sur-Mer, Brittany, in 1928.
