the funeral under close surveillance of the “Menhir” takes place peacefully

Jean-Marie Le Pen, historic figure of the French far right, was buried Saturday afternoon in the cemetery of his hometown of La Trinité-sur-Mer (Morbihan), in western France, at the following a mass celebrated in the strictest family privacy.

In the second round in 2002

A provocative and sulphurous tribune, obsessed with immigration and Jews, Jean-Marie Le Pen shocked people on April 21, 2002 the political class and a large part of French public opinion by accessing the second round of the presidential election behind the outgoing Jacques Chiracwho will ultimately be re-elected with more than 82% of the votes thanks to a “republican front”.

Engaged in Indochina, Jean-Marie Le Pen had also fought in Algeria. He admitted in 2019 to a journalist that he had practiced torture in Algeria, without using the word, according to statements published by the newspaper Le Monde in its Sunday-Monday edition.

A small group mass

Environ 200 people — including his daughter Marine Le Pen, who had taken over the reins of the party co-founded by her father, the National Front (FN) which has since become the National Rally (RN) — attended the funeral tribute in theSaint-Joseph church.

The president of the RN Jordan Bardella was also present, but he remained far from the cameras, according to several sources.

A procession with many sympathizers

At the end of a ceremony which lasted approximately two hoursa grieving Marine Le Pen, members of her family and those close to the former far-right leader, who died Tuesday at the age of 96, followed the hearse to the cemeterya few hundred meters away.

No major incident

The town of around 1,700 people had been placed under close surveillance by the police to avoid any overflow or manifestationbut the day passed without the slightest incident.

Tuesday evening, several hundred opponents gathered in several cities in France, including Paris, Lyon and Rennes, to celebrate, with songs, smoke bombs and fireworks, the death of “JMLP”. “This dirty racist is dead,” said a sign held up in Paris.

These demonstrations were strongly condemned by the RN, which vilified “the bitch, always the same, in the street, the leftist scum”, and the French government. “Dead, even the enemy has the right to respect,” said the executive spokesperson.

Several orders to avoid overflows

On Friday, the prefect took a manifesto ban orderr in the commune. The municipality has also put in place restrictions near the church.

Several hundred people took part in the procession which ended under the applause upon arrival at the cemetery, according to journalists from theAFP on site.

“We love you”

“Jean-Marie, we love you! “, launched a sympathizer. In accordance with his wish, the coffin of the man who liked to be called “the Menhir” was then placed in the vault where his parents rest, not far from the Le Pen family home.

Marine Le Pen shook a few hands as she left, to the sound of binious and bagpipes from a traditional ensemble from Brittany.

“I came as a curious person, to pay tribute to a man who served France and who loved France,” Johann, 40, who lives not far away, in Auray, explained to AFP.

“We came to pay tribute to a great man who had the courage to say things,” says Ludovic, 43. “He was a visionary. He loved France and its people and they had values ​​that are being lost, like love of the nation.”

Another ceremony in Paris

Jean-Marie Le Pen is dead Tuesday January 7, 2025 in the Paris region, in an establishment where he had been admitted several weeks ago.

Another one ceremony, “religious and of homage”will take place on January 16 at the Notre-Dame-du Val-de-Grâce church in Paris. It will be open to the public.

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