THE FIGARO EDITORIAL – Jean-Marie Le Pen's early intuition that immigration would become the primary concern of the French brought millions of voters together around him. But his taste for scandal, his anti-Semitic provocations have reduced the rogue of the Republic to the role of a scarecrow.
He was the “Menhir” for his voters, the devil for his adversaries, the fatal attraction for the media cynicism which, with him, generated staggering audiences while displaying an intractable republican virtue. The kid from Trinité-sur-Mer, a promising deputy before thirty, got stuck in small groups before re-emerging on the screens in the early 1980s. His formidable eloquence, his punching temperament, his journey through history from the War to Algeria via Indochina, his mastery of new media uses (and the imperfect subjunctive), his taste for scandal (encouraged by François Mitterrand) first made him a sulphurous and baroque character for television.
LIVE – Death of Jean-Marie Le Pen: “The fight against man is over”, “the fight against hatred continues”, reacts Mélenchon
His early intuition that immigration would become the primary concern of the French brought millions of voters together around him. And then his poisonous anti-Semitic provocations, his clan spirit, this taste for internal quarrels…
This article is reserved for subscribers. You have 56% left to discover.
Flash Sale
€4.99 per month for 12 months. No commitment.
Already subscribed? Log in
