Once called the 'most hated man in France', Le Pen maintained that his ideas were simply 'ahead of their time'

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.

A Holocaust denier and unrepentant extremist on race and immigration, the far-right politician has died at 96.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French far-right political party the National Front, has died aged 96, a senior party official has announced.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French far-right nationalist party formerly known as the National Front, was buried on Saturday. Le Pen died on Tuesday at the age of 96. Around 100 police officers were on duty for the funeral in La Trinité-sur-Mer in Brittany.

Le Pen was convicted numerous times of antisemitism, discrimination and inciting racial violence. But the nativist ideas that propelled his popularity remain ascendant in today's France and beyond.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, who founded France's far-right National Front party, died at 96 years old. Le Pen was a controversial and confrontational figure.

He co-founded what became France’s biggest opposition party, National Rally, rooted in deep anti-immigrant sentiment.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French far-right National Front party, now known as National Rally (RN), has died at 96.View on euronews

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s main far-right National Front party and an unrepentant extremist on race, immigration and multiculturalism, has died aged 96. Le Pen had been in a care facility for several weeks and died at midday on Tuesday “surrounded by his loved ones”, the family said in a statement.

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