Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's far-right National Front party died on Tuesday at the age of 96. Le Pen emerged as a visible figure in European politics through a mixture of Holocaust denialism and stoking blue-collar anger over immigration and globalization.
Mabel Berezin, professor of sociology in the College of Arts & Sciences and an expert on international populism, says Le Pen was a driving force behind public xenophobia, nationalism and anti-globalization that began to take off in Europe post-2000.
Berezin says: “His most oft cited quoted was that ‘the gas chambers were simply a detail of the Second World War.’ He ran for all sorts of offices including the French Presidency – three times – and even had a breakthrough in 2002. Yet, he never expected his party to govern. It wasn’t until 2011 when his daughter took over the party and changed its name to the Rassemblement National (National Rally) that the party began a serious effort to mainstream itself and govern.
“Le Pen wasn’t responsible for the political events which moved the right forward across Europe. Yet, the French National Front created the institutional framework necessary to take advantage of crisis events from immigration to public debt. In that sense, it was a model for other European far-right parties, and it helped to lend legitimacy to a form of politics which was considered taboo in the post-war years.”
For interviews contact Adam Allington, cell: 231-620-7180, adam.allington@Cornell.edu.
