FRANCE Clips and memes of the song “Nobody Mourns the Wicked,” from the hit movie musical “Wicked” went viral in France this week after the death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France’s far-right National Rally party.
Le Pen was 96 when he passed away on Jan. 7 and was the father of current National Rally leader Marine Le Pen. Le Pen rose to prominence in the 1970s and 80s as a politician with his frequent tirades against immigrants, Muslims, and queer people.
He ran for president of France five times, making it to the second round in the 2002 election, where he was defeated in an historic landslide.
In 2018, a court found Le Pen guilty of spreading hate toward homosexuals on three separate incidents and ordered him to pay fines.