Over 1,000 people attended a memorial ceremony in central Paris for the founder of France’s main far-right party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died last week at the age of 96.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, father of Marine Le Pen and the defining figure of France’s postwar far-right movement, has died at the age of 96, according to French network BFMTV.

For years, the far-right National Rally tried to distance itself from Mr. Le Pen’s racist and antisemitic remarks. But after his death Tuesday, it hailed him as a visionary.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s main far-right party and a polarizing figure in French politics, is being buried in a private family ceremony in his hometown of La Trinité-sur-Mer in Brittany.

The founding father of France's far-right movement, Jean-Marie Le Pen, died Tuesday in a care facility after a short illness, his family said. He was 96 years old.

By founding the National Front in 1972 — which has since been rebranded and is led by his daughter Marine Le Pen — Jean-Marie Le Pen ushered in a new brand of extreme-right politics. His legacy remains embedded in some of today’s dominant political parties.

The frequent presidential contender was twice convicted of dismissing the Nazi gas chambers as a “minor point” in World War II.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French right-wing nationalist party formerly known as the National Front, has died aged 96, news agency AFP reported on Tuesday, citing Le Pen's family. The head of the party,

The Notre-Dame du Val de Grace church in Paris has been the scene of a tribute to the founder of the French National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died last Tuesday at the age of 96. Camera: YOAN VALAT.

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