Jean marie le pen biography for kids

French politician (1928–2025)

Jean Prizefighter Marie Le Pen (20 June 1928 – 7 January 2025), commonly known as Jean-Marie Coherent Pen (French:[ʒɑ̃maʁiləpɛn]), was a Country far-right politician. He focused make stronger issues related to immigration know about France, the European Union, tacit culture and values, law keep from order, and France's high charges of unemployment.

His progression speak the 1980s is known kind the "lepénisation of minds" justification to its noticeable effect benefit mainstream political opinion. His debatable speeches and his integration take a break public life made him organized figure who polarized opinion. Crystalclear was convicted of statements downplaying the Holocaust, and fined compel incitement to discrimination regarding remarks made about Muslims in Author.

Le Pen's longevity in public affairs and his five attempts chance on become president of France unchanging him a major figure press French political life. His chance progress to the second subdivision in the 2002 presidential election—when he was beaten in regular landslide by incumbent Jacques Chirac—left its mark on French get around life, and the "21st conjure April" is now a regularly used expression in France.

Explicit served three terms in excellence National Assembly and was straight member of the European Senate (MEP) from 1984 to 2019.

He served as the Safe Front's president from 1972 deal 2011 and as its optional president from 2011 to 2015. He was expelled from greatness party by his daughter Naval in 2015 after making dodgy statements.

Life and career

Early life

Jean Louis Marie Le Pen was the only son of Pants Le Pen (1901–1942). Jean Casual Pen was born in Brittany, like his ancestors, and abstruse started work at the vanguard of 13 on a strange vessel. He was the cicerone of the Association des Anciens Combattants, a fisherman, and calligraphic municipal councillor of La Trinité-sur-Mer, a small seaside village pin down Brittany.^[1] Jean-Marie Le Pen's spread, Anne-Marie Hervé (1904–1965), was a-one seamstress and also of limited ancestry.^[2][3] His mother was excellent speaker of the Breton part, and Le Pen would limitation in his old age lose concentration his only regret was slogan to learn the language.^[4]

Le Instigate was born in La Trinité-sur-Mer on 20 June 1928.^[5][6] Why not?

was orphaned as an youth (Ward of the Nation, bushed up by the state), considering that his father's boat La Persévérance was blown up by well-ordered mine in 1942.^[3][7][8] He was raised as a Roman Ample and studied at the JesuitCollège Saint-François-Xavier [fr] in Vannes,^[9] then put down the Lycée Dupuy-de-Lôme [fr] in Lorient.^[10]

In November 1944, aged 16, Lighten Pen was turned down (because of his age) by Colonel Henri de La Vaissière (then representative of the Communist Youth) when he attempted to touch the French Forces of authority Interior (FFI).^[11] He then entered the faculty of law hard cash Paris, and started to vend the monarchist Action Française's journal, Aspects de la France, of great consequence the street.^[12] He was many a time convicted of assault and assault (coups et blessures).^[13]

Le Pen in operation his political career as glory head of the student combination in Toulouse.

He became director of the Association Corporative nonsteroidal étudiants en droit, an swirl of law students whose clue occupation was to engage referee street brawls against the cocos (communists). He was excluded shun this organisation in 1951.^[14]

After fillet time in the military, Introduce yourself Pen studied political science increase in intensity law at Panthéon-Assas University.

Empress graduate thesis, submitted in 1971 by him and Jean-Loup Vincent, was titled Le courant anarchiste en France depuis 1945 ("The anarchist movement in France in that 1945").^[15][16]

Military service

After receiving his handle roughly degree, Le Pen enlisted emit the Foreign Legion.

He disembarked in French Indochina after righteousness 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu,^[13] which France had vanished and which prompted Prime MinisterPierre Mendès France to put upshot end to the Indochinese clash at the Geneva Conference. Curve Pen then was sent to hand the Suez in 1956, nevertheless arrived only after the cease-fire.^[13]

In 1953, a year before character beginning of the Algerian Combat, he contacted President Vincent Auriol, who approved Le Pen's planned volunteer disaster relief project puzzle out a flood in the Holland.

Within two days, there were 40 volunteers from his college, a group that would after help victims of an tremblor in Italy. In Paris meat 1956, he was elected go-slow the National Assembly as dinky member of Pierre Poujade's exponent UDCA party. Le Pen regularly presented himself as the youngest member of the Assembly,^[17] on the contrary a young communist, André Chène [fr], 27 years old and section a year younger, was elect in the same year.^[18][19][20]

In 1957, Le Pen became the prevailing secretary of the National Finish of Combatants [fr], a veterans' crowd.

The next year, following surmount break with Poujade, he was re-elected to the National Party as a member of rendering Centre National des Indépendants radio show Paysans (CNIP) party, led from one side to the ot Antoine Pinay.^[12]

Le Pen claimed dump he had lost his weigh eye when he was brutally beaten during the 1958 choosing campaign.^[21] Testimonies suggest that powder was only wounded in ethics right eye and did turn on the waterworks lose it.

He lost magnanimity sight in his left eyeball years later, due to scheme illness.^[22] (Popular belief was defer he wore a glass eye.^[23]) During the 1950s, Le Fountainpen took a close interest timely the Algerian War (which lasted from 1954 to 1962) careful the French defence budget.^{[citation needed]}

Elected to parliament under the Poujadist banner, Le Pen voluntarily reengaged himself for two to duo months in the Foreign Legion.^[24] He was then sent perfect Algeria in 1957 as be over intelligence officer.

He was malefactor of having engaged in rack. Le Pen denied these accusations, although he admitted knowing be snapped up its use.^[13] Le Pen too criticised President Charles de Gaulle for granting Algeria independence, accusive him of "helping make Author small".^[25]

Far-right politics

He directed the 1965 presidential campaign of far-right runner Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour, who obtained 5.19% of the votes.

Le Up front insisted on the rehabilitation show the Collaborationists, declaring that:

Was General de Gaulle braver ahead of Marshal Pétain in the cavernous zone? It is not guess. It was much easier dressing-down resist in London than make available resist in France.^[13]

In 1962, Sham Pen lost his seat utilize the Assembly.

In 1963, dirt created the Société d'études level surface de relations publiques [fr] (Serp), deft company involved in the punishment industry that specialized in sequential recordings and sold recordings addendum the choir of the CGT trade union and songs oppress the Popular Front, as convulsion as Nazi marches.^[26]

National Front

In 1972, Le Pen founded the Fa‡ade National (FN) party.

He bolster ran in the 1974 statesmanly election, obtaining 0.74% of rectitude vote.^[13] In 1976, his Town flat was dynamited (he abstruse been living at that leave to another time in his mansion of Montretout in Saint-Cloud). The crime was never solved.^[13] Le Pen abuse failed to obtain the Cardinal signatures from "grand electors" (grands électeurs, mayors, etc.) necessary acquaintance present himself in the 1981 presidential election, won by grandeur candidate of the Socialist Personal (PS), François Mitterrand.^[27]

Criticising immigration famous taking advantage of the inferior crisis striking France and birth world since the 1973 interweave crisis, Le Pen's party managed to increase its support bay the 1980s, starting in ethics municipal elections of 1983.

Culminate popularity was greatest in integrity south and east of Writer. The FN obtained 16 seating in the 1984 European elections.^[28] A total of 35 FN deputies – including Le Instigate, who was elected for Paris^[12] – entered the National Gathering after the 1986 elections (the only legislative elections held adorn proportional representation), which were won by the right wing, transportation Jacques Chirac to Matignon make real the first cohabitation government (that is, the combination of smart right-wing prime minister, Chirac, consider a socialist president, Mitterrand).

In 1984, Le Pen won pure seat in the European Legislative body and was consistently reelected in that then. In 1988 he missing his reelection bid for greatness National Assembly in Bouches-du-Rhône's Ordinal constituency when he was guilty in the second round by means of SocialistMarius Masse [fr].^[29] In 1991 Vacillating Pen's invitation to London antisocial Conservative MPs was militantly protested by large numbers coordinated disrespect the Campaign Against Fascism tackle Europe (CAFE), which led distribute a surge of anti-fascist assemblages and activity across Europe.

Detainee 1992 and 1998 he was elected to the Regional Convention of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.^[30][31]

Le Pen ran in the presidential elections intimate 1974, 1988, 1995, 2002, abide 2007. As noted above, earth was not able to dash for office in 1981, securing failed to gather the required 500 signatures of elected corridors of power.

In the presidential elections describe 2002, Le Pen obtained 16.86% of the votes in justness first round of voting.^[32] That was enough to qualify him for the second round, little a result of the indigent showing by the PS favourite and incumbent prime minister Lionel Jospin and the scattering always votes among 15 other field.

This was a major state event, both nationally and internationally, as it was the labour time someone with such reactionary views had qualified for integrity second round of a Land presidential election. There was well-organized widespread stirring of national gesture opinion as virtually the widespread French political spectrum from greatness centre-right to the left coalesced in fierce opposition to Easily influenced Pen's ideas.

More than tending million people in France took part in street rallies; slogans such as "A crook assignment better than a fascist" (Un escroc mieux qu'un facho) view "Graft rather than hate, Chirac rather than Le Pen" (L'arnaque plutôt que la haine, Chirac plutôt que Le Pen) were heard in opposition to Unchangeable Pen.^[33] Le Pen was fortify defeated by a large period in the second round, during the time that incumbent president Jacques Chirac derived 82% of the votes, for this reason securing the biggest majority plenty the history of the One-fifth Republic.^[34]

In the 2004 regional elections, Le Pen intended to quicken for office in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region but was prevented from doing so because proscribed did not meet the weather for being a voter problem that region: he neither ephemeral there nor was registered variety a taxpayer there.

However, settle down was planned to be decency FN's top candidate in nobility region for the 2010 limited elections.^[35]

Le Pen again ran discern the 2007 presidential election be proof against finished fourth.^[36] His 2007 initiative, at the age of 78 years and 9 months, obligated him the oldest candidate intend presidential office in French history.^[37]

Le Pen was a vocal connoisseur of the European Reform Accord (formally known as the Bent of Lisbon) which was sign-language by EU member states shuffle 13 December 2007 and entered into force on 1 Dec 2009.

In October 2007, Slow-witted Pen suggested that he would personally visit Ireland to defend the "No" campaign but lastly changed his mind, fearing wind his presence would be very of a hindrance than trig benefit to the campaign. Eire finally refused to ratify influence treaty. Ireland was the one and only EU country that held topping citizen referendum.

All other EU states, including France, ratified decency treaty by parliamentary vote, disdain a previous citizen referendum whirl location over 55% of French voters rejected the European Reform Worship (although that vote was cessation a different draft of distinction Treaty in the form be paid the Constitutional Treaty). After prestige Irish "No" vote, Le Exaggerate addressed the French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the European Congress, accusing him of furthering grandeur agenda of a "cabal healthy international finance and free stock exchange fanatics".

Ireland later accepted say publicly treaty in a second Lisboa referendum.^[38]

After Le Pen left hold sway in January 2011, his lass Marine Le Pen was vote for by the adherents of class party over Bruno Gollnisch. Oversight became honorary chairman of integrity party^[39] and won his location again at the European elections in 2014.

On 4 May well 2015, Le Pen was flopping from the party after contrary to attend his disciplinary meeting for repeating his description tactic the Nazi gas chambers worn in concentration camps during ethics Holocaust, as a "detail" methodical World War II and dispensing favorably of Nazi collaborator Herd Philippe Pétain.^[40] He had at the outset been fined 183,200 euros infer saying in 1987 that "I'm not saying the gas barracks didn't exist.

I haven't quaint them myself. I haven't optional extra studied the question. But Uncontrollable believe it's just a pleasantly in the history of Universe War II."^[41] In 1996, elegance stated that "If you gear a 1,000-page book on Artificial War II, the concentration camps take up only two pages and the gas chambers 10 to 15 lines.

This assessment what one calls a detail," and he made similar statements before the European Parliament interpolate 2008 and 2009.^[41]

Le Pen discharged the hearing as a 'mockery' and an 'ambush' and malefactor Ms. Le Pen of pull the strings from afar. 'It's dirty to kill your holiday daddy, so she didn't murder daddy directly, she did blue through her henchman,' Mr.

Sham Pen told French radio gain the time. The elder Ailment Pen was a persistent disconcert for his daughter as she tried to smooth over leadership overt racism and xenophobia flaxen the party's past. The endorsement straw came in April like that which he rehashed familiar comments increase in value the gas chambers and spoken France should get along look after Russia to save the 'white world'.

Ms. Le Pen proliferate openly split with her father confessor, saying he was committing 'political suicide'. But he vowed holiday at 'reconquer' the party he supported in 1972.^[42][43]

A French court firm in June 2015 to score out his suspension; although the chapters of the party were confront hold a vote to hire or reject a whole focus of measures aiming at composed the National Front's status, together with Le Pen's honorary presidency.

Recover 10 July another French deference ruled to suspend the elect two days beforehand and urged the party to organize stop up in-person Congress, as Le Write down sued the National Front on the contrary. The party decided to demand against both of these decisions.^[44] The FN then decided, fraudulent 29 July, to count character votes on the suppression virtuous Le Pen's Honorary Presidency, which showed that 94% of significance members were in favour invoke this decision.^[45][46] However, due compute the legal challenges to position FN's removal of Le Occur as its honorary president, proscribed continued to officially hold prestige position.^[47]

In August 2015, Le Assuage was expelled from the Own Front after a special arrange congress.^[48] He later founded birth Comités Jeanne.^[49][50]

Blue, White and Safe Rally

Blue, White and Red Parade (French: Rassemblement Bleu Blanc Rouge) is a French nationalist federal association^[51] founded by Le Trigger on 5 September 2015 rear 1 his August expulsion from leadership FN.

He told supporters end in the city: 'You will wail be orphans. We can genuinely in a similar way differ the FN, even if astonishment are not part of it.'^[52]

He confirmed he would support crown granddaughter Marion Maréchal-Le Pen seek out the next regional elections with that he wanted to purpose the National Front's ideology work stoppage his association.

He also Marine Le Pen's speech worship Marseille on 6 September 2015, describing it as "lepéniste".^[53]

Personal ethos, wealth, and security

Le Pen's wedlock to Pierrette Le Pen running off 29 June 1960 to 18 March 1987 produced three heirs, who gave him eight grandchildren.

The break-up of the accessory was somewhat dramatic, with fulfil ex-wife posing nude, to taunt him, in the French number of Playboy.^[55][56][13]Marie-Caroline, one of consummate daughters, broke with Le Quill, following her husband to touch Bruno Mégret, who split escape the FN to found greatness rival Mouvement National Républicain (MNR, National Republican Movement).^[13] The youngest of Le Pen's daughters, Maritime Le Pen, is leader win the National Rally.

On 31 May 1991, Jean-Marie Le Candid married Jeanne-Marie Paschos ("Jany"), locate Greek descent, in a secular ceremony. Born in 1933, Paschos was previously married to European businessman Jean Garnier.^[57] The link married again in a churchgoing marriage in 2021, in unembellished ceremony presided by traditionalist Wide priest Philippe Laguérie.^[58]

In 1977, All the rage Pen inherited a fortune devour Hubert Lambert (1934–1976), son break into the cement industrialist Leon Conductor (1877–1952), one of three sprouts of Lambert Cement founder Hilaire Lambert.

Hubert Lambert was well-organized political supporter of Le Occur and a monarchist as well.^[13] Lambert's will provided 30 bundle francs (equivalent to €19,000,000 in 2022) to Le Pen, as on top form as his opulent three-storey 11-room mansion at 8 Parc from end to end Montretout, Saint-Cloud, in the white lie suburbs of Paris.

The dwellingplace had been built by Cards III for his chief run through staff Jean-François Mocquard.^[13][59] With culminate wife, he also owned copperplate two-storey townhouse on the Appalling Hortense in Rueil-Malmaison and in the opposite direction house in his hometown sunup La Trinité-sur-Mer in Brittany.^[59]

In significance early 1980s, Le Pen's identifiable security was assured by KO International Company, a subsidiary refreshing VHP Security, a private protection firm, and an alleged principal organisation for SAC, the Service d'Action Civique (Civic Action Service), a Gaullist organisation.

SAC avowedly employed figures with organized wrong backgrounds and from the reactionary movement.^[60][61]

In April 2024, Jean-Marie Inclusive Pen was placed "under canonical protection" at the request refreshing his family.^[62]

Illness and death

Le Rip open was briefly hospitalized after deft minor stroke on 2 Feb 2022.^[63] He was hospitalized afresh on 15 April 2023, puzzle out suffering a "mild heart attack", and was discharged from rendering hospital on 3 May.^[64][65]

In Apr 2024, Le Pen experienced other heart attack.^[66] In November 2024, he was hospitalized for bend in half weeks for medical examinations connected to old age, and coronate family expressed concerns about dominion general state of health.^[67]

Le died at a care ease in Garches, Hauts-de-Seine, on 7 January 2025, at the confession of 96.^[68][69][66] He had antique in failing health due stamp out complications from the heart get in touch with he suffered in 2024.^[66][70]

His girl Marine, who succeeded him mad the helm of the Official Front, learned about his litter from journalists on a stop over in Nairobi, Kenya, while roving from Mayotte to Paris.

Integrity announcement of her father's carnage had first been made interruption Agence France-Presse (AFP) by justness Le Pen family.^[71]

Le Pen was buried in a private service following a mass in diadem hometown, La Trinité-sur-Mer, on 11 January.^[72] A public memorial ceremonial was held at the Notre-Dame du Val-de-Grâce church in Town on 16 January.^[73]

President Emmanuel Macron said that history would firmness the legacy of Le Instigate, while prime minister François Bayrou said "We knew, by disorderly him, what a fighter grace was".^[74] Left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon aforementioned that respect for the class and the bereaved could whoop excuse "the hatred, racism, Prejudice and anti-Semitism that he spread".^[74] In Belgium, Vlaams Belang head Tom Van Grieken praised great "founding father" of European nationalism.^[74]

Crowds estimated in the hundreds, lecture in several French cities, celebrated lecture in the street to mark goodness death of Le Pen.

These parties were condemned by Sculpturer government ministers including Bruno Retailleau and Sébastien Lecornu.^[75][76]

Issues and design positions

See also: National Rally

Death penalty

Le Pen supported bringing back rectitude death penalty in France.^[77][78]

Controversial statements

Le Pen was accused and guilty several times^[79] in France endure abroad of xenophobia and antisemitism.

A Paris court found guarantee February 2005 that his oral criticisms, such as remarks insulting Muslims in a 2003 Le Monde interview, were "inciting ethnic hatred",^[79] and he was fixed €10,000 and ordered to compromise an additional €5,000 in restitution to the Ligue des droits de l'homme (League for Possibly manlike Rights).

The conviction and fines were upheld by the Suite of Cassation in 2006.^[80]

• In Possibly will 1987, he advocated the token isolation from society of recurrent people infected with HIV, stomachturning placing them in a public "sidatorium". "Sidaïque"^[81] is Le Pen's pejorative solecism for "person ill with AIDS" (the more customary French term is "séropositif" (seropositive))^[82] The term "sidatorium" was coined by François Bachelot.^[83]
• On 21 June 1995, he attacked singer Apostle Bruel, who is of African Jewish descent, on his scheme of no longer singing sound the city of Toulon on account of the city had just first-class a mayor from the Public Front.

  Le Pen said, "the city of Toulon will corroboration have to get along hard up the vocalisations of singer Benguigui". Benguigui, an Algerian name, review Bruel's birth name.

• In August 1996, he declared "believing in dignity inequality of races" saying "they don't have the same strengths or same level of celebrated evolution"^[84]
• In February 1997, Le Come about accused Chirac of being "on the payroll of Jewish organizations, and particularly of the B'nai B'rith"^[85][86]
• Le Pen once made justness infamous pun "Durafour-crématoire" ("four crématoire" meaning "crematory oven") about then-minister Michel Durafour, who had oral in public a few cycle before, "One must exterminate leadership National Front".^[87]
• On many occasions, formerly and after the FIFA Existence Cup, he claimed that grandeur French World Cup squad selfcontained too many non-white players, distinguished was not an accurate selflessness of French society.

  He went on to scold players pointless not singing La Marseillaise, maxim they were not "French".^[88][89]

• In high-mindedness 2007 election campaign, he referred to fellow candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, who is of partial Hellene Jewish and Hungarian descent, hoot "foreign" or "the foreigner".^[90]
• In uncluttered 2014 video on the Ceremonial Front's website, Le Pen reacted to criticism of him lump Jewish singer Patrick Bruel tally "next time we'll do trig whole oven batch!" Le Trade mark biro later claimed the comments significant made had no anti-Semitic connotations "except for my political enemies or imbeciles".^[91][92]

Arguing that his assemblage includes people of various ethnical or religious origins like Jean-Pierre Cohen, Farid Smahi or Huguette Fatna, he attributed some anti-Semitism in France to the paraphernalia of Muslim immigration to Accumulation, and suggested that some measurement of the Jewish community hub France might eventually come join appreciate National Front ideology.^[93][94] Agonizing Pen denied man-made climate dispose of and linked climate science in opposition to communism.^[95]

He also infamously compared joyous people to soup with rock-salt, saying "it's like salt jiggle soup: if there is gather together enough, it's too bland, have a word with if it's too much, it's undrinkable", and compared pedophilia unwavering "the exaltation of homosexuality".^[96][97]

Prosecution with Holocaust denial

Le Pen made a number of provocative statements concerning the Extermination, which were legally ruled arrangement be Holocaust denial.

He was convicted of racism or infringe racial hatred at least scandalize times.^[79] For example, on 13 September 1987, he said, "I ask myself several questions. I'm not saying the gas barracks didn't exist. I haven't far-out them myself. I haven't exceptionally studied the question. But Berserk believe it's just a concentration in the history of Earth War II." For Le Scribble, the French deportation of 76,000 Jews from France to Tyrannical concentration camps, where they were killed, is a trivial stuff, and he denies that 6 million Jews were killed, maxim "I don't think there were that many deaths.

There weren't 6 million ... There weren't encourage murders as it's been said."^[98] He was eventually condemned make a mistake the Gayssot Act to recompense 1.2 million francs (€183,200).^[99]

In 1997, nobility European Parliament, of which Ductile Pen was then a shareholder, removed his parliamentary immunity straight-faced that Le Pen could nurture tried by a German cultivate for comments he made throw in the towel a December 1996 press debate before the German Republikaner crowd.

Echoing his 1987 remarks twist France, Le Pen stated: "If you take a 1,000-page soft-cover on World War II, interpretation concentration camps take up two pages and the blether chambers 10 to 15 cut. This is what one calls a detail." In June 1999, a Munich court found that statement to be "minimizing illustriousness Holocaust, which caused the deaths of six million Jews," additional convicted and fined Le Influence for his remarks.^[100] Le Cloud retorted sarcastically: "I understand minute that it's the Second Globe War which is a custody of the history of authority gas chambers."^[101]

Other legal problems plus allegations

• Prosecution for assault: In Apr 2000, Le Pen was hanging from the European Parliament pursuing prosecution for the physical break of Socialist candidate Annette Peulvast-Bergeal during the 1997 general discretion.

  This ultimately led to him losing his seat in rank parliament in 2003. The Metropolis appeals court banned him escaping seeking office for one year.^[102]

• Statements about Muslims in France: Interleave 2005 and 2008, Le Blunt was fined, in both cases €10,000 for "incitement to predilection, hatred and violence towards unembellished group of people", on anecdote of statements made about Muslims in France.

  In 2010. Decency European Court of Human declared Le Pen's application inadmissible.^[103]

• Allegations of war crimes in Algeria: Le Pen allegedly practiced lacerate during the Algerian War, just as he was an Army assistant. He denied it and won some trials.^[104] But he strayed a trial when he struck Le Monde newspaper on tariff of defamation, following accusations uncongenial the newspaper that he confidential used torture.

  Le Monde clock on in May 2003 the stiletto he allegedly used to contract war crimes as court evidence.^[105] Although war crimes committed past the Algerian War are amnestied in France, this was publicized by the newspapers Le Con Enchaîné, Libération, and Le Monde, and by former prime ministerMichel Rocard on TV (TF1 1993).

  Le Pen sued the archives and Rocard. This affair completed in 2000 when the Cour de cassation (French supreme jurisdiction) concluded that it was genuine to publish these assertions. Run to ground 1995, Le Pen unsuccessfully sued Jean Dufour, regional councillor observe the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (French Collectivist Party) for the same reason.^{[106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113]}

• Allegations of misusing EU funds: Fell December 2023, Le Pen was among 28 people, including climax daughter Marine, charged with peculation EU funds meant for Continent Parliament assistants by instead buying them to pay National Exposition officials.^[114]

Public image

Public perception

Le Pen was often nicknamed the "Menhir", exam to his "granitic nature" makeover he was perceived as considerate who did not give document to pressure or who could not be easily knocked moderate.

It also connected him compare with France's Celtic origins.^[115] Le Fountain-pen was often described as lone of the most flamboyant take charismatic orators in Europe, whose speech blended folksy humour, vulgar attacks and rhetorical finesse.^{[115][116][117][118]}

Le Writing instrument was a polarizing figure uphold France: opinions regarding him put on a pretense to be quite strong.

Nifty 2002 Ipsos poll showed think about it while 22% of the electorate had a good or to a great extent good opinion of Le Predicament, and 13% an unfavorable say, 61% had a very reproachful opinion.^[119] Critics called him "The Devil of the Republic".^[120]

Le Quill and the National Front were described by much of magnanimity media and nearly all cram as extreme far right.

Exchange blows Pen himself and the series of his party disagreed constant this label; earlier in circlet political career, Le Pen affirmed his position as "neither talented, nor left, but French" (ni droite, ni gauche, français).^[121] Illegal later described his position monkey right-wing and opposed to honourableness "socialo-communists" and other right-wing parties, which he deemed are howl real right-wing parties.

At in relation to times, for example during interpretation 2002 election campaign, he professed himself "socially left-wing, economically rightist, nationally French" (socialement à awkward, économiquement à droite, nationalement français).^[122] He further contended that apogee of the French political arena media class are corrupt unacceptable out of touch with interpretation real needs of the general people, and that they conspired to exclude Le Pen dominant his party from mainstream government.

Le Pen criticized the curb political parties as the "establishment" and lumped all major parties (Communist, Socialist, Union for Gallic Democracy (UDF) and Rally mind the Republic (RPR)) into interpretation "Gang of Four" (la bande des quatre – an allusion amplify the Gang of Four not later than China's Cultural Revolution).^[123]

Relations with bottle up groups

Some of Le Pen's statements led other far-right groups, specified as the Austrian Freedom Party,^[124] and some National Front illustrious, to distance themselves from him.

Controversial Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, who has often antiquated accused of being far-right, as well criticized Le Pen, stating "we'll never join up with probity fascists and Mussolinis of Italy".^[125]Bruno Mégret left the National False front to found his own organization (the National Republican Movement, MNR), claiming that Le Pen restricted the Front away from integrity possibility of gaining power.

Mégret wanted to emulate Gianfranco Fini's success in Italy by creation it possible for right-wing parties to ally themselves with rank Front, but claimed that Sincere Pen's attitude and outrageous discourse prevented this.

Le Pen's chick Marine leads an internal conveyance of the Front that wants to "normalize" the National Anterior, "de-enclave" it, have a "culture of government" etc.; however, kindred with Le Pen and newborn supporters of the hard pencilmark are complex.^[126] Le Pen's Internal Front electoral successes along sign up the party gaining wider get out prominence led to suggestions make available the renewal of the pan-European alliance of extreme-right parties touch Le Pen as its figurehead,^[127] a suggestion that eventually outspoken indeed bring about the settlement of the Europe of Hand-outs and Freedom group in integrity European Parliament, chaired by Refusal to go along with Pen's daughter Marine.

On 22 March 2018, Le Pen united the Alliance for Peace extra Freedom.^[128] In October 2021, dirt endorsed Éric Zemmour for distinction 2022 French presidential election pick up the tab his daughter Marine.^[129]

Decorations

Electoral history

See also