The death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the party once known as the National Front, occurs at a time when the mainstreaming of far-right politics

He co-founded what became France’s biggest opposition party, National Rally, rooted in deep anti-immigrant sentiment.

A polarizing figure in French politics, Le Pen was convicted numerous times of antisemitism, discrimination and inciting racial violence. His statements — including Holocaust denial, racist denunciations of Muslims and immigrants and his 1987 proposal to forcibly isolate people with AIDS in special facilities — shocked his critics and strained his political alliances.

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

Demonstrators were seen setting off fireworks and chanting slogans in Republic Square on Tuesday. Earlier that day, Le Pen, the founder of the National Front party, died at the age of 96.

Hundreds of people gathered at Place de la Republique in Paris in celebratory mood on January 7, after the death was announced of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the former leader of the far-right National Front,

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.