Editing Jean-Marie Le Pen (section)

==Life and career==

===Early life===
Jean Louis Marie Le Pen was the only son of Jean Le Pen (1901–1942). Jean Le Pen was born in [[Brittany]], like his ancestors, and had started work at the age of 13 on a transatlantic vessel. He was the president of the Association des Anciens Combattants, a fisherman, and a municipal councillor of [[La Trinité-sur-Mer]], a small seaside village in Brittany.<ref>Le Pen, Jean-Marie. p45</ref> Jean-Marie Le Pen's mother, Anne-Marie Hervé (1904–1965), was a seamstress and also of local ancestry.<ref>Le Pen, Jean-Marie. p16</ref><ref name="genea">{{cite web|title=Jean-Marie Le Pen: genealogie|url=https://gw.geneanet.org/pierfit?lang=fr&p=jean+marie&n=le+pen&oc=1|website=geneanet.org|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref> His mother was a speaker of the [[Breton language]], and Le Pen would say in his old age that his only regret was not to learn the language.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mort de Jean-Marie Le Pen : quel est son plus gros regret avec la Bretagne ? |url=https://actu.fr/bretagne/la-trinite-sur-mer_56258/mort-de-jean-marie-le-pen-quel-est-son-plus-gros-regret-avec-la-bretagne_62084186.html |access-date=12 January 2025 |publisher=Actu.fr |date=7 January 2025 |language=French}}</ref>

Le Pen was born in [[La Trinité-sur-Mer]] on 20 June 1928.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linternaute.com/biographie/Jean-Marie-le-pen/ |title=Biographie Jean-Marie Le Pen |publisher=Linternaute.com |date=20 June 1928 |access-date=21 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816131939/http://www.linternaute.com/biographie/jean-marie-le-pen/ |archive-date=16 August 2016 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref name="BBC-obit">{{cite news |last1=Luckhurst |first1=Toby |title=Obituary: Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of French far right |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c84z7pl4193o |access-date=13 January 2025 |work=www.bbc.com |date=6 January 2025}}</ref> He was [[orphan]]ed as an adolescent ([[Ward of the Nation]], brought up by the state), when his father's boat ''La Persévérance'' was blown up by a mine in 1942.<ref name="genea"/><ref>Le Pen, Jean-Marie, p82</ref><ref>Fauchoux, Marc and Forcari, Christophe. p42</ref> He was raised as a Roman Catholic and studied at the [[Jesuit]] {{ill|Collège-lycée-prépa Saint-François-Xavier de Vannes|lt=Collège Saint-François-Xavier|fr|Collège-lycée-prépa Saint-François-Xavier de Vannes}} in [[Vannes]],<ref>Le Pen, Jean-Marie, p72</ref> then at the {{ill|Lycée Dupuy-de-Lôme|fr}} in [[Lorient]].<ref>Le Pen, Jean-Marie, p94</ref>

In November 1944, aged 16, Le Pen was turned down (because of his age) by Colonel Henri de La Vaissière (then representative of the [[French Communist Party|Communist Youth]]) when he attempted to join the [[French Forces of the Interior]] (FFI).<ref>[http://www.lexpress.fr/info/france/elysee_2007/actu.asp?id=10247 Quand Le Pen voulait rejoindre les FFI] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001030819/http://www.lexpress.fr/info/france/elysee_2007/actu.asp?id=10247 |date=1 October 2007 }}, ''[[L'Express (France)|L'Express]]'', 28 March 2007 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> He then entered the [[University of Paris|faculty of law in Paris]], and started to sell the monarchist ''[[Action Française (post 1945)|Action Française]]''{{'s}} newspaper, ''[[Aspects de la France]]'', in the street.<ref name="Base_de_données">{{cite web |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen: Biographies |url=https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/sycomore/fiche/(num_dept)/7607 |website=Base de données des députés français depuis 1789 |publisher=Assemblée nationale |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref> He was repeatedly convicted of assault and battery (''coups et blessures'').<ref name = "BioRFI"/>

Le Pen started his political career as the head of the student union in [[Toulouse]]. He became president of the ''Association Corporative des étudiants en droit'', an association of law students whose main occupation was to engage in street brawls against the ''cocos'' ([[French Communist Party|communists]]). He was excluded from this organisation in 1951.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biographie et actualités de Jean Marie Le Pen France Inter|url=https://www.franceinter.fr/personnes/jean-marie-le-pen|access-date=10 December 2020|website=www.franceinter.fr|language=fr}}</ref>

After his time in the military, Le Pen studied [[political science]] and law at [[Panthéon-Assas University]]. His graduate thesis, submitted in 1971 by him and Jean-Loup Vincent, was titled ''Le courant anarchiste en France depuis 1945'' ("The [[The anarchist movement in France since 1945|anarchist movement in France]] since 1945").<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IHTTk_iM6jUC&pg=PA235|title=La politique mensonge|last=Schwartzenberg|first=Roger-Gérard|date=1998|publisher=Odile Jacob|isbn=9782738105431|pages=235|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0tTSNwAACAAJ|title=Le Courant anarchiste en France depuis 1945|last=Le Pen|first=Jean-Marie |date=1971|publisher=Universite de Paris|language=fr}}</ref>

===Military service===
After receiving his law degree, Le Pen enlisted in the [[French Foreign Legion|Foreign Legion]]. He arrived in [[French Indochina]] after the 1954 [[battle of Dien Bien Phu]],<ref name="BioRFI"/> which France had lost and which prompted [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]] [[Pierre Mendès France]] to put an end to the [[First Indochina War|Indochinese war]] at the [[Geneva Conference (1954)|Geneva Conference]]. Le Pen then was sent to [[Suez Crisis|the Suez in 1956]], but arrived only after the cease-fire.<ref name="BioRFI"/>

In 1953, a year before the beginning of the [[Algerian War]], he contacted President [[Vincent Auriol]], who approved Le Pen's proposed volunteer disaster relief project after a [[North Sea flood of 1953|flood in the Netherlands]]. Within two days, there were 40 volunteers from his university, a group that would later help victims of an earthquake in Italy. In Paris in 1956, he was elected to the [[French National Assembly|National Assembly]] as a member of [[Pierre Poujade]]'s populist [[Union for the Defense of Tradesmen and Artisans|UDCA]] party. Le Pen often presented himself as the youngest member of the Assembly,<ref>{{cite web|author1=Jean-Marie Le Pen|title=Biographie|url=http://www.jeanmarielepen.com/p/biographie.html|website=LE BLOG DE Jean-Marie Le Pen|access-date=9 May 2017|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215093747/http://www.jeanmarielepen.com/p/biographie.html|archive-date=15 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> but a young communist, {{ill|André Chène|fr}}, 27 years old and half a year younger, was elected in the same year.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sirinelli|first1=Jean-Francois|title=Vie politique française au xxe siècle|date=1995|publisher=Presses universitaires de France|location=Paris, France|pages=573|edition=first|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=André Chène|url=http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/sycomore/fiche/%28num_dept%29/1761|website=ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE|access-date=9 May 2017|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kauffmann|first1=Grégoire|title=La naissance du Front national : La réponse de l'auteur|journal=[[L'Histoire]]|date=December 2011|issue=370|pages=6|url=http://www.lhistoire.fr/la-naissance-du-front-national-la-r%C3%A9ponse-de-lauteur|access-date=9 May 2017|language=fr}}</ref>

In 1957, Le Pen became the general secretary of the {{ill|National Front of Combatants|fr|Front national des combattants}}, a veterans' organization. The next year, following his break with Poujade, he was re-elected to the National Assembly as a member of the [[National Centre of Independents and Peasants|Centre National des Indépendants et Paysans]] (CNIP) party, led by [[Antoine Pinay]].<ref name="Base_de_données"/>

Le Pen claimed that he had lost his left eye when he was savagely beaten during the [[1958 French legislative election|1958 election]] campaign.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jun/04/france.thefarright|title=Battle of Algiers returns to haunt Le Pen as claims of torture focus on far-right leader|author1=Giles Tremlett |author2=Paul Webster |date=4 June 2002|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 December 2018|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Testimonies suggest that he was only wounded in the right eye and did not lose it. He lost the sight in his left eye years later, due to an illness.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1391941/Exposing-the-myth-of-poison-Le-Pen.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1391941/Exposing-the-myth-of-poison-Le-Pen.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Exposing the myth of poison Le Pen|author=Philip Delves|journal=Daily Telegraph|date=22 April 2002|access-date=27 December 2018|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> (Popular belief was that he wore a [[glass eye]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-07-15-8502160018-story.html|title=EX-PARATROOPER AROUSES POLITICAL PASSIONS|author=Ray Moseley|website=Chicago Tribune|date=15 July 1985 |access-date=27 December 2018}}</ref>) During the 1950s, Le Pen took a close interest in the Algerian War (which lasted from 1954 to 1962) and the French defence budget.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

Elected to parliament under the [[Pierre Poujade|Poujadist]] banner, Le Pen voluntarily reengaged himself for two to three months in the Foreign Legion.<ref>{{cite web |author=CatusJack |url=http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Jean-Marie+Le+Pen+et+La+Torture/video/x446or_jeanmarie-le-pen-et-la-torture-13-e_politics |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen et La Torture [1/3&#93; Excellent !&nbsp;– une vidéo |publisher=Dailymotion |access-date=13 June 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He was then sent to Algeria in 1957 as an [[French secret services|intelligence officer]]. He was accused of having engaged in [[torture during the Algerian War|torture]]. Le Pen denied these accusations, although he admitted knowing of its use.<ref name="BioRFI"/> Le Pen also criticised President [[Charles de Gaulle]] for granting Algeria independence, accusing him of "helping make France small".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250107-%F0%9F%94%B4-french-far-right-figurehead-jean-marie-le-pen-dies-at-age-96 |title=French far-right figurehead Jean-Marie Le Pen dies at 96 |website=France 24 |date=7 January 2025 |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref>

===Far-right politics===
{{Conservatism in France|Politicians}}
He directed the [[1965 French presidential election|1965]] presidential [[Tixier-Vignancour Committees|campaign]] of far-right candidate [[Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour]], who obtained 5.19% of the votes. Le Pen insisted on the rehabilitation of the [[Collaborationist]]s, declaring that:

{{Blockquote|Was General [[Charles de Gaulle|de Gaulle]] braver than Marshal [[Philippe Pétain|Pétain]] in the occupied zone? It is not certain. It was much easier to [[French Resistance|resist]] in London than to resist in France.<ref name="BioRFI"/>}}

In 1962, Le Pen lost his seat in the Assembly. In 1963, he created the ''{{ill|Société d'études et de relations publiques|fr}}'' (Serp), a company involved in the [[music industry]] that specialized in historical recordings and sold recordings of the choir of the [[Confédération Générale du Travail|CGT]] trade union and songs of the [[Popular Front (France)|Popular Front]], as well as [[Nazism|Nazi]] marches.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thomas |first=Jonathan |date=13 December 2017 |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen et la SERP : le disque de musique au service d'une pratique politique |url=https://journals.openedition.org/volume/5370 |journal=Volume! La revue des musiques populaires |volume=14 : 1 |language=fr |issue=14 : 1 |pages=85–101 |doi=10.4000/volume.5370 |issn=1634-5495}}</ref>

===National Front===
In 1972, Le Pen founded the [[National Front (France)|Front National]] (FN) party. He then ran in the [[1974 French presidential election|1974 presidential election]], obtaining 0.74% of the vote.<ref name="BioRFI"/> In 1976, his Parisian apartment was blown up with dynamite (he had been living at that time in his [[hôtel particulier|mansion]] of Montretout in Saint-Cloud). The crime was never solved.<ref name="BioRFI"/> Le Pen then failed to obtain the 500 signatures from "grand electors" (''grands électeurs'', mayors, etc.) necessary to present himself in the [[1981 French presidential election|1981 presidential election]], won by the candidate of the [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]] (PS), [[François Mitterrand]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mas |first=Marie-Laure |date=2 February 2012 |title=1981–2007. Le FN face à la "galère" des 500 signatures |url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/politique/election-presidentielle-2012/20120202.OBS0471/1981-2007-le-fn-face-a-la-galere-des-500-signatures.html |access-date=4 June 2024 |website=Le Nouvel Obs |language=fr}}</ref>

Criticising immigration and taking advantage of the economic crisis striking France and the world since the [[1973 oil crisis]], Le Pen's party managed to increase its support in the 1980s, starting in the municipal elections of 1983. His popularity was higher in the south and east of France. The FN obtained 16 seats in the [[1984 European Parliament election|1984 European elections]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.europe-politique.eu/elections-europeennes-1984.htm |title=Élections européennes 1984 |last=de Boissieu |first=Laurent |website=europe-politique.eu |access-date=8 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408170619/https://www.europe-politique.eu/elections-europeennes-1984.htm |archive-date=8 April 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A total of 35 FN deputies – including Le Pen, who was elected for Paris<ref name="Base_de_données"/> – entered the National Assembly after the [[1986 French legislative election|1986 elections]] (the only legislative elections held under proportional representation). 

In 1984, Le Pen won a seat in the [[European Parliament]] and was consistently reelected since then. In 1988 he lost his reelection bid for the National Assembly in [[Bouches-du-Rhône]]'s [[Bouches-du-Rhône's 8th constituency|8th constituency]] when he was defeated in the second round by [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist]] {{ill|Marius Masse|fr}}.<ref>[http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/11/tribun/fiches_id/2110.asp Marius Masse] biography</ref> In 1991 Le Pen's invitation to London by Conservative MPs was militantly protested by large numbers coordinated by the Campaign Against Fascism in Europe (CAFE), which led to a surge of anti-fascist groups and activity across Europe. In 1992 and 1998 he was elected to the [[Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tempest |first1=Rone |title=Major Gains Seen for French Rightist Le Pen : Elections: With Socialists' support falling and anti-immigrant bias high, radical National Front soars in polls. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-21-mn-3995-story.html |access-date=12 January 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=21 March 1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fitchett |first1=Joseph |title=In Some Regions, Le Pen's Party Is Arbiter : Jospin Happy That Vote Did Not Chastise Left |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/17/IHT-in-some-regions-le-pens-party-is-arbiter-jospin-happy-that-vote-did-not.html |access-date=12 January 2025 |work=New York Times |date=17 March 1998}}</ref>

[[File:Jean-Marie Le Pen a son maison.jpg|left|thumb|Jean-Marie Le Pen, November 2005]]

Le Pen ran in the presidential elections in 1974, 1988, 1995, 2002, and 2007. As noted above, he was not able to run for office in 1981, as he failed to gather the necessary 500 signatures of elected officials. In the [[2002 French presidential election|presidential elections of 2002]], Le Pen obtained 16.86% of the votes in the first round of voting, obtaining second place after incumbent President Jacques Chirac.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2002/2002109PDR.htm |title=Décision n° 2002-109 PDR du 24 avril 2002 |date=24 April 2002 |website=[[Constitutional Council of France]] |language=fr |access-date=8 April 2019 }}</ref> This was enough to qualify him for the second round, as a result of the poor showing by the center-left PS candidate and incumbent prime minister [[Lionel Jospin]] and the scattering of votes between 15 other candidates. This was a major political event, both nationally and internationally, as it was the first time someone with such far-right views had qualified for the second round of a French presidential election. There was a widespread stirring of national public opinion as virtually the entire French political spectrum from the centre-right to the left united in fierce opposition to Le Pen's ideas. More than one million people in France took part in street rallies; slogans such as "A crook is better than a fascist" (''Un escroc mieux qu'un facho'') and "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 Le Pen.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.humanite.fr/contre-le-pen-le-sursaut-civique-264163 |title=Contre Le Pen, le sursaut civique |date=23 April 2002 |website=[[L'Humanité]] |language=fr |access-date=20 April 2022 }}</ref> Le Pen was then defeated by a large margin in the second round, in which President Chirac obtained 82% of the votes, thus securing the biggest majority in the history of the [[Fifth French Republic|Fifth Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2002/2002111PDR.htm |title=Décision n° 2002-111 PDR du 8 mai 2002 |date=8 May 2002 |website=[[Constitutional Council of France]] |language=fr |access-date=8 April 2019 }}</ref>

In the [[2004 French regional elections|2004 regional elections]], Le Pen intended to run for office in the [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] region but was prevented from doing so because he did not meet the conditions for being a voter in that region: he neither lived there nor was registered as a taxpayer there. However, he was planned to be the FN's top candidate in the region for the [[2010 French regional elections|2010 regional elections]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frontnational.com/?p=1274 |title=FN list of candidates |publisher=Frontnational.com |date=25 August 2008 |access-date=13 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002190335/http://www.frontnational.com/?p=1274 |archive-date= 2 October 2009 }}</ref>

Le Pen again ran in the [[2007 French presidential election|2007 presidential election]] and finished fourth.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2007/2007139PDR.htm |title=Décision n° 2007-139 PDR du 25 avril 2007 |date=25 April 2007 |website=[[Constitutional Council of France]] |language=fr |access-date=8 April 2019 }}</ref> His 2007 campaign, at the age of 78 years and 9 months, made him the oldest presidential candidate in [[History of France|French history]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c84z7pl4193o | title=Obituary: Jean-Marie le Pen, founder of French far right }}</ref>

Le Pen was a vocal critic of the European Reform Treaty (formally known as the [[Treaty of Lisbon]]) which was signed by EU member states on 13 December 2007 and entered into force on 1 December 2009. In October 2007, Le Pen suggested that he would personally visit Ireland to assist the "No" campaign but finally changed his mind, fearing that his presence would be more of a hindrance than a benefit to the campaign. Ireland finally refused to ratify the treaty. Ireland was the only EU country that held a citizen referendum. All other EU states, including France, ratified the treaty by parliamentary vote, despite a previous citizen referendum where over 55% of French voters rejected the European Reform Treaty (although that vote was on a different draft of the Treaty in the form of the Constitutional Treaty). After the Irish "No" vote, Le Pen addressed the French President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] in the [[European Parliament]], accusing him of furthering the agenda of a "cabal of international finance and free market fanatics". Ireland later accepted the treaty in a second Lisbon referendum.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8288181.stm|title=Ireland backs EU's Lisbon Treaty|publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=21 October 2009 | date=3 October 2009 | location=London}}</ref>

After Le Pen left office in January 2011, his daughter [[Marine Le Pen]] was elected by the adherents of the party over [[Bruno Gollnisch]]. He became honorary chairman of the party<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/le-corre_france-a-critical-player.pdf|title=FRANCE: A CRITICAL PLAYER IN A WEAKENED EUROPE|last=LE CORRE|first=PHILIPPE|date=April 2017|website=brookings.edu}}</ref> and won his seat again at the [[2014 European Parliament election in France|European elections in 2014]].

On 4 May 2015, Le Pen was suspended from the party after refusing to attend his disciplinary hearing for repeating his description of the [[Nazi gas chambers]] used in [[concentration camp]]s during the [[Holocaust]], as a "detail" of World War II and speaking favorably of Nazi collaborator Marshal [[Philippe Pétain]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/world/europe/far-right-party-in-france-tries-to-push-jean-marie-le-pen-provocative-founder-to-the-margins.html|title=Far-Right Party in France Tries to Push Jean-Marie Le Pen, Provocative Founder, to the Margins|first1=Alissa J.|last1=Rubin|first2=Aurelien|last2=Breeden|date=4 May 2015|work=The New York Times}}</ref> He had originally been fined 183,200 euros for saying in 1987 that "I'm not saying the gas chambers didn't exist. I haven't seen them myself. I haven't particularly studied the question. But I believe it's just a detail in the history of World War II."<ref name="HaaretzPatriarch">{{cite news |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen to Face Trial for Saying Gas Chambers Are 'A Detail' of History |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2015-07-25/ty-article/le-pen-charged-with-saying-gas-chambers-are-a-detail/0000017f-f979-d2d5-a9ff-f9fdbabb0000 |access-date=2 June 2024 |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=25 July 2015}}</ref> In 1996, he stated that "If you take a 1,000-page book on World War II, the concentration camps take up only two pages and the gas chambers 10 to 15 lines. This is what one calls a detail," and he made similar statements before the [[European Parliament]] in 2008 and 2009.<ref name="HaaretzPatriarch"/>

Le Pen dismissed the hearing as a 'mockery' and an 'ambush' and accused Ms. Le Pen of pulling the strings from afar. 'It's dirty to kill your own daddy, so she didn't kill daddy directly, she did it through her henchman,' Mr. Le Pen told French radio at the time. The elder Le Pen was a persistent problem for his daughter as she tried to smooth over the overt racism and xenophobia of the party's past. The final straw came in April when he rehashed familiar comments about the gas chambers and said France should get along with Russia to save the 'white world'. Ms. Le Pen then openly split with her father, saying he was committing 'political suicide'. But he vowed to 'reconquer' the party he founded in 1972.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/national-front-founder-jean-marie-le-pen-creates-new-party-1.2342458|title=National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen creates new party|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |publisher=|accessdate=24 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20150906-france-national-front-founder-jean-marie-le-pen-creates-new-political-party|title=FN founder Le Pen to create new far-right faction – France 24|date=6 September 2015|publisher=|accessdate=24 April 2018}}</ref>

A French court decided in June 2015 to cancel his suspension; although the members of the party were to hold a vote to accept or reject a whole series of measures aiming at changing the [[National Front (France)|National Front]]'s status, including Le Pen's honorary presidency. On 10 July another French court ruled to suspend the vote two days beforehand and urged the party to organize an in-person Congress, as Le Pen sued the National Front again. The party decided to appeal against both of these decisions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2015/07/08/la-justice-donne-a-nouveau-raison-a-jean-marie-le-pen_4675601_823448.html |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen fait suspendre l'assemblée générale du FN |work=Le Monde |date=8 July 2015 |access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref> The FN then decided, on 29 July, to count the votes on the suppression of Le Pen's Honorary Presidency, which showed that 94% of the members were in favour of this decision.<ref>{{cite news|author=Un mot à ajouter ? |url=http://www.liberation.fr/politiques/2015/07/29/fn-94-des-adherents-approuvent-la-suppression-de-la-presidence-d-honneur_1355925 |title=Vote massif des adhérents FN contre Jean-Marie Le Pen, qui renonce à se présenter en Paca |newspaper=Libération |date=29 July 2015 |access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.liberation.fr/direct/element/_14247/ |title=29 juillet 2015 à 19:40 |newspaper=Libération |access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref> However, due to the legal challenges to the FN's removal of Le Pen as its honorary president, he continued to officially hold the position.<ref>{{cite magazine | title=Juridiquement, Jean-Marie Le Pen est toujours président d'honneur du FN | url=http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/fn/juridiquement-jean-marie-le-pen-est-toujours-president-d-honneur-du-fn_1873324.html | date=27 January 2017 | magazine=[[L'Express]] | access-date=28 April 2017 | language=fr}}</ref>

In August 2015, Le Pen was expelled from the National Front after a special party congress.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34009901|title=French National Front expels founder Jean-Marie Le Pen|work=BBC News|date=20 August 2015|access-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> He later founded the [[Comités Jeanne]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe1.fr/politique/jean-marie-le-pen-lance-des-comites-jeanne-darc-au-secours-2697814|title=Jean-Marie Le Pen lance des comités "Jeanne d'Arc, au secours !"|website=europe1.fr|date=20 March 2016 |access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.valeursactuelles.com/politique/jean-marie-le-pen-cree-les-comites-jeanne-au-secours-pour-peser-sur-le-fn-60287|title=Jean-Marie Le Pen crée les comités "Jeanne, au secours!" pour peser sur le FN|date=21 March 2016|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>

===Blue, White and Red Rally===
{{Infobox political party
| colorcode        = #01228E
| name             = Blue, White and Red Rally
| native_name      = Rassemblement Bleu Blanc Rouge
| leader1_title    = Leader
| leader1_name     = Jean-Marie Le Pen
| foundation       = 5 September 2015
| split            = [[National Front (France)|National Front]]
| slogan           = 
| headsquarters    = 
| youth_wing       = 
| ideology         = [[French nationalism]]
| position         = [[Far-right]]
| colours          = {{Color box|01228E|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]]
| flag             = 
| country          = France
| website          = 
}}
Blue, White and Red Rally ({{langx|fr|Rassemblement Bleu Blanc Rouge}}) is a [[French nationalism|French nationalist]] political association<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2015/09/05/le-rassemblement-bleu-blanc-rouge-la-surprise-de-jean-marie-le-pen_4747002_823448.html|title=Le " Rassemblement bleu blanc rouge ", la surprise de M. Le Pen|website=Le Monde.fr|date=6 September 2015 |accessdate=24 April 2018}}</ref> founded by Le Pen on 5 September 2015 after his August expulsion from the FN. He told supporters in the city: 'You will not be orphans. We can act in a similar way to the FN, even if we are not part of it.'<ref>{{cite web|title=French Front National founder creates new party after expulsion|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-lepen/french-front-national-founder-creates-new-party-after-expulsion-idUSKCN0R50Q020150905|website=Reuters.com|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=6 December 2017}}</ref>

<!--Marine Le Pen, the  leader of the [[Front National]], remarked, 'He does what he wants, he is a free man.'{{cn|date=January 2025}}-->
He confirmed he would support his granddaughter [[Marion Maréchal-Le Pen]] for the next regional elections and that he wanted to influence the [[National Front (France)|National Front]]'s ideology with his association. He also praised Marine Le Pen's speech in Marseille on 6 September 2015, describing it as "lepéniste".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/politique/fn-le-discours-de-marine-le-pen-etait-100-jean-mariste-07-09-2015-1962537_20.php|title=Migrants – Jean-Marie Le Pen salue le discours "100 % lepéniste" de sa fille|work=Le Point|date=7 September 2015|publisher=|accessdate=24 April 2018}}</ref>

===Personal life, wealth, and security===
[[Image:Le Pen Paris 2007 05 01 n5.jpg|right|thumb|Le Pen with his second wife, Jany Paschos, at the [[National Rally|National Front]]'s annual march to the statue of [[Joan of Arc]], [[Place des Pyramides]], [[Paris]], [[May Day]] 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=National Front in patriotic fervour |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-eu-27240756 |quote=Every year on May Day the far right in France marches to the statue of Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) on the right bank in Paris |access-date=5 January 2022 |work=BBC News |date=1 May 2014}}</ref>]]

Le Pen's marriage to [[Pierrette Le Pen]] from 29 June 1960 to 18 March 1987 produced three daughters, who gave him eight grandchildren. The break-up of the marriage was somewhat dramatic, with his ex-wife posing nude, to ridicule him, in the French edition of ''[[Playboy]]''.<ref name="challenges-fr-2017-Schwyter">{{cite news |last1=Schwyter |first1=Adrien |title="Dans l'enfer de Montretout": 6 anecdotes incroyables sur l'histoire du clan Le Pen |url=https://www.challenges.fr/election-presidentielle-2017/dans-l-enfer-de-montretout-6-anecdotes-incroyables-sur-l-histoire-du-clan-le-pen_470962 |access-date=5 January 2022 |work=Challenges |date=3 May 2017 |language=fr |quote=Deux semaines plus tard, en juin, le numéro 23 de Playboy est dans les kiosques: Madame Le Pen nue fait le ménage" titre l'hebdomadaire, qui, à une époque où le mot buzz médiatique, n'existe pas encore, a flairé le bon coup et imprimé 250.000 exemplaires, soit 100.000 de plus que la moyenne habituelle....Playboy est même obligé de réimprimer 150.000 exemplaires pour répondre à la demande.}}</ref><ref name="jailu-Beaumont-Montretout">{{cite book |last1=Beaumont |first1=Olivier |title=Dans l'enfer de Montretout |date=2018 |publisher=J'ai lu |isbn=978-2-290-15039-9 |url=https://www.jailu.com/dans-l-enfer-de-montretout/9782290150399 |language=fr |access-date=5 January 2022 |archive-date=5 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105062531/https://www.jailu.com/dans-l-enfer-de-montretout/9782290150399 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="BioRFI"/> [[Marie-Caroline Le Pen (1960)|Marie-Caroline]], one of his daughters, broke with Le Pen, following her husband to join [[Bruno Mégret]], who split from the FN to found the rival [[National Republican Movement|Mouvement National Républicain]] (MNR, National Republican Movement).<ref name="BioRFI"/> The youngest of Le Pen's daughters, [[Marine Le Pen]], is leader of the [[National Rally]]. On 31 May 1991, Jean-Marie Le Pen married Jeanne-Marie Paschos ("Jany"), of Greek descent, in a civil ceremony. Born in 1933, Paschos was previously married to Belgian businessman Jean Garnier.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eu.greekreporter.com/2014/06/02/the-greek-french-stepmother-of-marine-le-pen/|title=The Greek-French Stepmother of Marine Le Pen {{!}} Greek Reporter Europe|website=eu.greekreporter.com|date=2 June 2014|access-date=15 November 2017}}</ref> The two married again in a religious marriage in 2021, in a ceremony presided by [[Traditionalist Catholicism|traditionalist Catholic]] priest [[Philippe Laguérie]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Labacher |first=Paul |date=18 January 2021 |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen s'est marié à 92 ans |url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/politique/20210118.OBS38993/info-obs-a-92-ans-jean-marie-le-pen-s-est-marie.html |access-date= |website=[[L'Obs]] |language=fr}}</ref>

In 1977, Le Pen inherited a fortune from Hubert Lambert (1934–1976), son of the cement industrialist Leon Lambert (1877–1952), one of three sons of Lambert Cement founder Hilaire Lambert. Hubert Lambert was a political supporter of Le Pen and a [[monarchist]] as well.<ref name=BioRFI/> Lambert's [[Will (law)|will]] provided 30 million francs ({{Inflation|FR|4573470|1977|fmt=eq|cursign=€|r=-6}}) to Le Pen, as well as his opulent three-storey 11-room mansion at 8 Parc de Montretout, [[Saint-Cloud]], in the western suburbs of Paris. The home had been built by [[Napoleon III]] for his chief of staff [[Jean-François Mocquard]].<ref name="BioRFI">[http://www.rfi.fr/francais/actu/articles/081/article_45894.asp Le Pen, son univers impitoyable] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224022357/http://www.rfi.fr/francais/actu/articles/081/article_45894.asp |date=24 February 2012 }}, ''[[Radio France Internationale]]'', 1 September 2006 {{in lang|fr}}</ref><ref name="nouvelobsricheproprietaire">{{cite news|title=Marine Le Pen, une riche propriétaire (comme son père)|url=http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/politique/20160127.OBS3441/marine-le-pen-une-riche-proprietaire-comme-son-pere.html|access-date=7 October 2016|work=Le Nouvel Observateur|date=27 January 2016}}</ref> With his wife, he also owned a two-storey townhouse on the Rue Hortense in [[Rueil-Malmaison]] and another house in his hometown of [[La Trinité-sur-Mer]] in [[Brittany]].<ref name="nouvelobsricheproprietaire"/>

In the early 1980s, Le Pen's personal security was assured by KO International Company, a subsidiary of VHP Security, a [[private security]] firm, and an alleged front organisation for SAC, the ''[[Service d'Action Civique]]'' (Civic Action Service), a Gaullist organisation. SAC allegedly employed figures with organized crime backgrounds and from the far-right movement.<ref name="RFI">[http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/072/article_40330.asp Le général croate Gotovina arrêté en Espagne], [[Radio France International|RFI]], 8 December 2005 {{in lang|fr}}</ref><ref name="Hum">[https://www.humanite.fr/journal/2005-12-10/2005-12-10-819689 Le chauffeur de l'homme de la Question] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118130606/http://www.humanite.fr/journal/2005-12-10/2005-12-10-819689 |date=18 November 2007 }}, ''[[L'Humanité]]'', 10 December 2005 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

In April 2024, Jean-Marie Le Pen was placed "under legal protection" at the request of his family.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 April 2024 |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen, placé "sous régime de protection juridique", annonce le vice-président du RN |url=https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/jean-marie-le-pen-place-sous-regime-de-protection-juridique-annonce-le-vice-president-du-rn-3341130#xtor=CS4-4 |access-date=3 April 2024 |website=France Bleu |language=fr}}</ref>

===Illness and death===
[[File:Jean-Marie Le Pen 2019.jpg|thumb|right|Le Pen at a signing for his memoirs in 2019]]
Le Pen was briefly hospitalized after a [[minor stroke]] on 2 February 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 February 2022 |title=French far-right party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen in hospital after minor stroke |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-far-right-party-founder-jean-marie-le-pen-hospital-after-minor-stroke-2022-02-03/ |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref> He was hospitalized again on 15 April 2023, after suffering a "mild [[heart attack]]" and was discharged from the hospital on 3 May.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 April 2023 |title=French far-right veteran Jean-Marie Le Pen hospitalised after 'mild' heart attack |url=https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230416-french-far-right-veteran-jean-marie-le-pen-hospitalised-after-mild-heart-attack |access-date=3 September 2023 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 May 2023 |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen, hospitalized after a heart attack, was able to return to his home |url=https://globeecho.com/news/europe/france/jean-marie-le-pen-hospitalized-after-a-heart-attack-was-able-to-return-to-his-home/ |access-date=3 September 2023 |website=Globe Echo |language=en |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903182140/https://globeecho.com/news/europe/france/jean-marie-le-pen-hospitalized-after-a-heart-attack-was-able-to-return-to-his-home/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In April 2024, Le Pen experienced another heart attack.<ref name=nytobit/> In November 2024, he was hospitalized for two weeks for medical examinations related to old age and his family expressed concerns about his general state of health.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 November 2024 |title=Marine Le Pen exprime " des inquiétudes " concernant l'état de santé de son père Jean-Marie Le Pen |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/politique/marine-le-pen/marine-le-pen-exprime-des-inquietudes-concernant-letat-de-sante-de-son-pere-jean-marie-le-pen-32344292-a722-11ef-9190-7abd4499cf18 |access-date=21 November 2024 |website=Ouest-France |language=en}}</ref>

Le Pen died at a care facility in [[Garches]], [[Hauts-de-Seine]], on 7 January 2025, aged 96.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/01/07/jean-marie-le-pen-france-dead/|title=Jean-Marie Le Pen, father of far-right party in France, dies at 96|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Paul W.|last=Valentine|date=7 January 2025|accessdate=8 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgm2jvkl2yo|title=French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen dies at 96|work=[[BBC News]]|first=Laura|last=Gozzi|date=7 January 2025|accessdate=8 January 2025}}</ref><ref name=nytobit>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/world/europe/jean-marie-le-pen-dead.html|title=Jean-Marie Le Pen, Rabble-Rousing Leader of French Far Right, Dies at 96|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Robert D.|last=McFadden|date=7 January 2025|accessdate=7 January 2025}}</ref> He had been in failing health due to complications from the heart attack he suffered in 2024.<ref name=nytobit/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ataman |first1=Joseph |last2=Vandoorne |first2=Saskya |title=Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France's far-right National Front party, dies at 96 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/07/europe/jean-marie-le-pen-dies-founder-national-front-party-france-intl/index.html |website=CNN |language=en |date=7 January 2025}}</ref>

Le Pen's daughter Marine, who succeeded him at the helm of the National Front, learned about his death from journalists on a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya, while travelling from [[Mayotte]] to Paris. The announcement of her father's death had first been made to Agence France-Presse (AFP) by the Le Pen family.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 January 2025 |title=Mort de Jean-Marie Le Pen : Marine Le Pen a appris la mort de son père lors d'une escale au Kenya |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/politique/jean-marie-le-pen/mort-de-jean-marie-le-pen-marine-le-pen-a-appris-la-mort-de-son-pere-lors-d-une-escale-au-kenya_6999686.html |access-date=7 January 2025 |work=France Info}}</ref>

Le Pen was buried in a private ceremony following a Mass in his hometown, [[La Trinité-sur-Mer]], on 11 January.<ref>{{Cite news |last=le Roux |first=Mariette |date=12 January 2025 |title=Far-right firebrand Le Pen buried in private ceremony |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/farright-firebrand-le-pen-buried-in-private-ceremony/news-story/96d2cd779914ee6c0892bd42a306154c |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 January 2025 |work=[[The Australian]] |department=World |publisher=[[News Corp Australia]] |location=La Trinité-sur-Mer |pages=8 |language=en |publication-place=Sydney |publication-date=13 January 2025 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}</ref> A public memorial ceremony was held at the [[Val-de-Grâce (church)|Notre-Dame du Val-de-Grâce church]] in Paris on 16 January.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 January 2025 |title=More than 1,000 attend Jean-Marie Le Pen's memorial service in Paris |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/01/16/more-than-1000-attend-jean-marie-le-pens-memorial-service-in-paris |access-date=17 January 2025 |work=[[Euronews]]}}</ref>

President [[Emmanuel Macron]] said that history would decide the legacy of Le Pen, while prime minister [[François Bayrou]] said "We knew, by fighting him, what a fighter he was".<ref name=reutersreaction>{{cite news |title=Reactions to former French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen's death |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/reactions-former-french-far-right-leader-jean-marie-le-pens-death-2025-01-07/ |access-date=9 January 2025 |publisher=Reuters |date=7 January 2025}}</ref> Left-winger [[Jean-Luc Mélenchon]] said that respect for the dead and the bereaved could not excuse "the hatred, racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism that he spread".<ref name=reutersreaction/> In Belgium, [[Vlaams Belang]] leader [[Tom Van Grieken]] praised a "founding father" of European nationalism.<ref name=reutersreaction/>

Crowds estimated in the hundreds, in several French cities, celebrated in the street to mark the death of Le Pen. These parties were condemned by French government ministers including [[Bruno Retailleau]] and [[Sébastien Lecornu]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Oyetade |first1=Yinka |title=Death of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen's sparks celebrations – and controversy |url=https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250108-death-of-far-right-leader-jean-marie-le-pen-s-sparks-celebrations-%E2%80%93-and-controversy |access-date=9 January 2025 |publisher=France 24 |date=8 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Giordano |first1=Elena |title=French interior minister condemns celebrations over Jean-Marie Le Pen's death |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/frances-interior-minister-bruno-retailleau-condemn-celebration-jean-marie-le-pen-death/ |access-date=9 January 2025 |work=Politico |date=8 January 2025}}</ref>