Several gatherings are taking place this Tuesday, January 7, in Paris and Lyon to celebrate the death of the founder of the National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, historic figure of the French far right, died this Tuesday January 7 at the age of 96. News which caused gatherings of people in several French cities in the evening, notably Lyon and Paris.
Signs to celebrate his death
In the capital, hundreds of people gathered on Place de République to celebrate the death of the figure of the French far right.
On the spot, chants chanting “he is dead!” were sung and demonstrators were seen dancing. Signs with the inscription “What a beautiful day!” were also observed.
The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, denounced this gathering via a message on his X account.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies dancing on a corpse. The death of a man, even a political opponent, should only inspire restraint and dignity. These scenes of jubilation are simply shameful” , he wrote.
Gathering in Lyon
In the capital of Gaul, similar scenes of jubilation occurred this Wednesday evening. The demonstrators, mainly young people, gathered on Place des Terreaux at 8 p.m. Fireworks were shot into the sky and the slogan “youth fuck the National Front” was chanted.
The procession then headed towards Old Lyon to pass through Place Sathonay before arriving at 8:25 p.m. in front of the Burdeau fountain. “Let’s make January 7 a public holiday,” the crowd chanted.
Along the way, a tag “Le Pen c’est ciao!” was also created, rue Hippolyte Flandrin. Trash cans were also set on fire, BFM Lyon noted on site. The demonstrators finally returned to Place des Terreaux around 8:45 p.m.
According to the Rhône prefecture, around 600 people demonstrated. Still according to the Rhône Prefecture, numerous DIPN crews were mobilized this Friday as well as the CRS83. Around 120 were mobilized.
Sylvain Allemand with Jade Lagnier
