A prominent French magazine Paris Match deleted a photo showing the moment a tearful Marine Le Pen learned of her father's death following criticism of the image from her far-right party. The image showed Marine Le Pen in tears when news broke of Jean-Marie Le Pen's death on her return trip from the cyclone-ravaged French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.
The 56-year-old took over party leadership from her father in 2011 (until 2021) and booted him out four years later, seeking to distance her movement from his racist, anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denying remarks and his multiple convictions. He died on Tuesday at the age of 96.
"Paris Match's publication of a snapshot of Marine Le Pen, the moment she learned of her father's death, is an indignity beyond comparison", reacted party leader Jordan Bardella on X. "If dishonor had a name tonight, it would be Paris Match", he added.
Paris Match deleted the post on X and then withdrew the image from its online news article. The glossy magazine, known for its celebrity coverage, became part of the media empire of France's richest man, Bernard Arnault, in October 2024 after a stint under right-wing tycoon Vincent Bolloré's ownership. The management of Paris Match didn't comment on the matter.
In a further twist, Bardella later deleted his own post on X.
The RN's deputy leader Louis Aliot on Wednesday confirmed reports that Marine Le Pen had learned of the death of her father from reporters travelling with her back from Mayotte. "We were on the plane in Nairobi where we made a technical stopover," and it was in the Kenyan capital "that journalists who were on the flight informed us of the death", he told TF1 television channel.