For years, the far-right National Rally tried to distance itself from Mr. Le Pen’s racist and antisemitic remarks. But after his death Tuesday, it hailed him as a visionary.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the longtime figurehead of France's far-right political movement and father of its current leader, has reportedly died.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French far-right nationalist party formerly known as the National Front and a controversial force in the country's political life for decades, has died aged 96. President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday issued a terse acknowledgement of Le Pen's significant role in France's post-war society - but withheld any further assessment of his legacy.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has paid tribute to her late father Jean-Marie, the founder of the National Front party, calling him a “warrior” in politics

Jean-Marie Le Pen espoused racist and antisemitic rhetoric that landed him in legal trouble in France, where Holocaust denial is illegal.

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation. The death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the party once known

The French Left-wing opposition has defended public displays of joy that followed the death of the far-Right veteran Jean-Marie Le Pen.