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Le Pen’s grave vandalized in France (PHOTOS)
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The desecration of the tomb of the National Front founder by unknown culprits has led to widespread condemnation
The final resting place of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the late patriarch of France’s right-wing movement, has been vandalized in the northwestern part of the country, according to local sources and photos circulating on social media.
According to Le Figaro, the grave of the founder of the National Front party in the town of La Trinite-sur-Mer, Brittany, was desecrated overnight at some point between Thursday evening and Friday morning. A police source told the French daily that the Celtic cross on the Le Pen family vault had been destroyed with a sledgehammer.
Images circulating on social media show parts of the memorial shattered and lying on the ground, with the nameplate displaced and flowers scattered. The local prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for “violation of a grave, tomb, cinerary urn or monument erected in memory of the dead,” Le Figaro reported, adding that the cemetery has been closed.
The incident has triggered outrage, most notably from right-wing political figures. Marion Marechal, Le Pen's granddaughter and leader of the Identity–Freedoms party, said: “Do you think you can break our hearts, intimidate us, discourage us? Our response will be to fight you ever harder, generation after generation.”
Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally, condemned the act as “unspeakable,” adding that “the most universal morality already condemns its authors: I hope that they will also be found and severely punished by justice.”
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called the vandalism “an absolute abjection,” stating, “Respect for the dead is what distinguishes civilization from barbarism.” Meanwhile, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini labeled those responsible “cowards.”
Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died on January 7 at the age of 96, was a key figure in France’s right-wing movement. Known for his staunch nationalist and anti-immigration policies, he founded the National Front in 1972 and led it for decades. He ran for the French presidency multiple times, notably reaching the second round in 2002. In 2011, he handed over the reins of the party to his daughter, Marine Le Pen, another luminary of the right-wing movement.
However, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s political career was marred by numerous controversies, including accusations of antisemitism and remarks in which he called the gas chambers used to kill Jews during the Holocaust a “detail of history.”
Following numerous controversies, his daughter – who has yet to comment on the grave’s desecration – distanced herself from the most extreme views of her father, rebranding the party as the National Rally in 2018. The National Rally is currently the largest opposition party in France’s National Assembly, holding 126 out of 577 seats.
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