Death of founding father of France's far right stirs up family feud over his legacy

The death of Jean-Marie Le Pen looks likely to reignite rivalries in his family over who is the rightful heir to the far-right political dynasty, as a French minister condemned as "shameful" the crowds of people who took to the streets to celebrate the politician's demise.

- Kim Willsher

Marine Le Pen, a daughter of the National Front co-founder and leader of the far-right party she has sought to rebrand as the anti-immigration National Rally, yesterday paid tribute to her father, who died the previous day aged 96.

"Many people he loves are waiting for him up there. Many people who love him are crying down here. Fair winds, fair seas, Papa," she wrote in a post on X.

Her response contrasted with celebrations seen in Paris and in other cities on Tuesday night when thousands of people gathered with banners reading, among other things: "The dirty racist is dead."

Le Pen senior, who first ran in France's presidential election in 1974 and made it through to the second round in 2002, was known for his unabashed racism. He repeatedly described the Holocaust as a "detail" of history and claimed African immigration would "submerge" the country. France's 1998 World Cup-winning football team, he said, had too many "players of colour" to be French.