French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen dies at 96

Far-right French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has died at the age of 96, according to what his family said in a statement carried by Agence France-Presse.

Le Pen, who had been in care for several weeks, died on Tuesday afternoon “surrounded by his loved ones,” his family said.

Le Pen – a Holocaust denier and an unrepentant extremist on race, gender and immigration – founded the French far-right National Front party in 1972.

He reached a runoff in the presidential election against Jacques Chirac in 2002.

Le Pen’s daughter, Marine, took over as party president in 2011. Since then, she has renamed the party the National Rally, turning it into one of the main political forces in France.

Jordan Bardella, who succeeded Marine Le Pen as party leader in 2022, said that Jean-Marie “always served France” and “defended its identity and sovereignty.”