Marine Le Pen battles father over Front National party name

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/16/marine-le-pen-front-national-name-change

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Even before her pedigree bengal feline was savaged to death by her father’s doberman, Marine Le Pen, president of the far-right Front National, and her father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, were arguing like cat and dog.

Now, two weeks after the pet wars forced Marine to move away from the family estate, another scrap has erupted between the Le Pens. A report that she is planning to consult the FN faithful over changing the party’s name has reopened the rift between the pair, and left Le Pen senior fuming. “It’s stupid, it’s scandalous and it’s indecent. Changing the FN’s name is unthinkable,” he said.

The latest family spat was sparked when French radio claimed Marine was planning to canvas the party’s 75,000 paid-up members as to whether it should change its name after its annual conference at the end of November.

For Mme Le Pen, who has been credited with halting the demonisation of the party and presenting a softer, more acceptable far-right face to the public, a name change would mark a break with the past. It is also seen as a way of attracting new members, uncomfortable with the FN’s history of antisemitism and racism.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, 86, who founded the Front National in 1972, and remains its honorary president, is vehemently opposed to any name change, and is scathing about his daughter’s reported plans.

“One can very well understand that political parties or companies that are in trouble might change their name. But a movement that continues to grow ... why change the name? It’s not a commercial label,” Le Pen senior told Europe 1 radio.

“There are a certain number of people who may not relate to the party’s past. Well, too bad for them.”

In Le Nouvel Observateur he said: “It’s possible there are people who’d like to change the Front National’s name because they don’t feel at ease within the party. Well, all they have to do is found their own party.”

Relations in the Le Pen family have been stormy for months. In June, father and daughter fell out publicly after he made public remarks about a French singer of Jewish origin with passing reference to the Nazi concentration camps.

Marine Le Pen, who saw her efforts to change the party’s image being undermined, described the remark as a “political gaffe”, while her partner Louis Aliot, who is also FN deputy leader, said the comments were “politically stupid and worrying’.

In the slanging match that followed, Jean-Marie Le Pen accused his daughter of turning the far right party into a conformist group “without substance”.

The FN has made no comment but Florian Philippot, deputy president, confirmed a change was possible, although he added : “The more popular we become the less we need to change our name.”