The death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the party once known as the National Front, occurs at a time when the mainstreaming of far-right politics

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

A polarizing figure in French politics, Le Pen was convicted numerous times of antisemitism, discrimination and inciting racial violence. His statements — including Holocaust denial, racist denunciations of Muslims and immigrants and his 1987 proposal to forcibly isolate people with AIDS in special facilities — shocked his critics and strained his political alliances.

With 211 million followers on social media, the multibillionaire seems intent on using his global platform to rattle British politics.