French ultranationalist politician and founder of the ultranationalist party Front National – now known as the "Rassemblement National," or National Rally – Jean-Marie Le Pen, passed away on January 7, 2025, at the age of 96. Le Pen was the president of the Front National between 1972 and 2011, leaving an indelible mark on French politics, promoting Holocaust Revisionism and discriminatory policies against immigrants, especially Muslims. He was convicted several times in France and abroad for incitement of racial hatred, antisemitism – including Holocaust denial – and discriminatory remarks.
Online, neo-Nazis and white supremacists from around the world, including France, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Portugal, and Romania, posted tributes to Le Pen, declaring the day of his death, January 7, "a day of mourning for whites."
The following report will provide an overview of neo-Nazis and white supremacists' reactions online to Jean-Marie Le Pen's death, as seen on Instagram, Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), and websites associated with specific neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations.
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Neo-Nazis And White Supremacists Honor Le Pen Online
Neo-Nazis and white supremacists online eulogized Le Pen; organizations and individuals shared videos and transcripts of Le Pen's speeches, photos of stickers, and images of graffiti commemorating his life, as well as posts expressing their condolences.
On Instagram, a French white supremacist retailer shared a photo to its story of its new stickers honoring Le Pen. The stickers have slogans such as: "Joan [of Arc], Help!"; "Thank You For Everything"; "Heroes Never Die"; and "Le Pen Present." A message added to the story reads: "[French white supremacist store] offers 100 packs of stickers paying tribute to Jean-Marie Le Pen. They are available FOR FREE on our website. Cover your cities with them!" Several hours later, the retailer posted a new story with the message: "The 100 packs of stickers were bought up in 25 minutes. We had no idea they would go so fast. Sorry for those who couldn't get any. Pay attention, tributes will probably be organized in the coming days."
On Telegram, a Spanish neo-Nazi channel posted a video on January 7 of French fascists beating up French anti-fascists who were celebrating Le Pen's death. The channel wrote: "[French flag emoji] #Montpellier A group of French patriots came face to face with some antifascists who were celebrating the death of #JeanMarieLePen, the result [hand pointing down emoji]."
A French Breton Identitarian group published a post on January 7 on Instagram paying tribute to Le Pen. The post had a graphic depicting Le Pen with the words, "Solid As A Menhir." (A "menhir" is an ancient standing stone.) The post also included Le Pen's name in the Breton language. The post reads: "Jean-Marie Le Pen left [this world] after a long life of fighting for France and Europe. As a child of the Vannes Country [in Brittany], he had left Brittany to serve France and to lift high the hopes and aspirations of the 'voiceless.' As he grew old, Jean-Marie Le Pen withdrew from political life, but he understood the importance of civil war for a 'Boreal Europe.' We respectfully salute the memory of this fighter and honor his fight."
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