The funeral of Jean-Marie Le Pen took place on Saturday January 11. His family was present, but also party executives as well as former comrades of the far-right patriarch.
Jean-Marie Le Pen died on Tuesday January 7 at the age of 96. He was buried in the cemetery of Trinité-sur-Mer, his hometown, in Morbihan. Two hundred people were present at Saint-Joseph church, only relatives of the founder of the FN, as reported 20 Minutes.
To begin with, his daughters Marine Le Pen, Marie-Caroline and Yann Le Pen accompanied their father’s hearse. Marine Le Pen and Marie-Caroline are better known to the general public than their sister for their involvement in politics. Yann Le Pen is the mother of Marion Maréchal, who was also present at her grandfather’s funeral. She was accompanied by her husband, Vincenzo Sofo, an Italian politician (MEP, member of the Brothers of Italy party, the far-right party led by Giorgia Meloni). Jean-Marie Le Pen’s widow, Jany Le Pen, was also present. Second wife of the founder of the FN, she had been considered to engage in politics in the event of her husband’s ineligibility, but this was ultimately not necessary.
Members of his political family
In addition to Jean-Marie Le Pen’s family, there were also members of his political family, close or more distant. Notably, there was Jordan Bardella, who showed up with a stubble and stayed away from the cameras. Coming to support his mentor, Marine Le Pen, he occupies the same position as Jean-Marie Le Pen before his departure from the FN.
Steeve Briois, the mayor of Hénin-Beaumont, was also present. He joined the FN in 1988, before leaving ten years later to join Bruno Mégret. He returned to the FN in 2001 before leaving it again in November 2022 with the arrival of Jordan Bardella at the head of the RN. He was accompanied by Bruno Gollnisch, who was vice-president of the FN and led Jean-Marie Le Pen’s campaign in 2002. He is also known for his denialist statements. There was also Bruno Bilde, RN deputy in Pas-de-Calais.
We were also able to see Senator Stéphane Ravier, who had rallied Éric Zemmour for the 2022 presidential election, thus leaving the RN. He slammed the door on Reconquest in 2024.