Le Pen, who has died at 96, reframed his country's bigoted political agenda to fit the neoliberal era
Jean-Marie Le Pen, a major figure of the French far-right who founded in 1972 the National Front (now the National Rally), died on 7 January at the age of 96. His racist legacy remains alive and well.
It extends beyond the party he founded, reaching a large portion of the French political spectrum, including the current government.
Racism certainly existed before him and has a long history in France, including slavery, persecution of Jews, and colonial domination. But Le Pen managed to reframe the country’s racist political agenda to fit the post-Algerian independence context, postcolonial immigration, and the neoliberal era.
On 17 October 1961, under pouring rain, Paris police violently suppressed a protest organised by the National Liberation Front’s France federation against the curfew imposed on Algerians. Men were arrested, beaten, clubbed, and thrown over bridges in the capital. The death toll was estimated to be as high as 300, with dozens more wounded.
A government spokesperson swiftly announced the official death toll: three. The interior minister spread this state lie in the National Assembly, praising police “discipline”. An interior minister deputy paid tribute to law enforcement. Among those who applauded was one Jean-Marie Le Pen - even then.
Read more on the original article : https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/france-jean-marie-le-pen-dead-racism-he-inspired-lives-on
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