As an MEP, Jean-Marie Le Pen voiced his hatred of the European Union and what he saw as its interference in French affairs. He would later call the euro “the currency of occupation”.
Shocking Views
But his rising political fortunes did not stop him giving voice to shocking views. In a notorious interview in 1987, he played down the Holocaust – Nazi Germany’s murder of six million Jews. “I do not say that the gas chambers did not exist. I never personally saw them,” he told an interviewer. “I have never particularly studied the issue, but I believe they are a point of detail in the history of World War Two.” His comments about le détail would dog the rest of his career.
Political Success
Regardless of the controversy, his popularity grew. In the 1988 presidential election, he took 14% of the vote. That figure rose to 15% in 1995. Then came 2002. With many mainstream candidates dividing opposition support, Jean-Marie Le Pen squeezed into the second and final round of the presidential election.
Protests and Backlash
The result sent shockwaves through French society. More than a million protesters took to the streets to oppose Le Pen’s ideas. The far-right politician inspired such revulsion from the majority that parties across the political spectrum called on their supporters to back President Jacques Chirac for a second term. Chirac took 82% of the vote, the biggest victory in French political history.
