PARIS : Le Pen Finds a Host
After several months of searching France for a friendly site, extreme right-wing political leader Jean-Marie Le Pen finally found a place willing to host the annual festival for his National Front Political Party, scheduled this weekend.
Rejected by a Paris race track and even by the political leaders of his hometown because of his anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant political message, Le Pen will instead hold forth on the grounds of a sprawling park on the western edge of the capital.
The festival occurs at a time when the controversial politician’s approval rating among voters, once pushing 20%, has tumbled. The cause: Le Pen’s outspoken objection to French participation in the U.N. embargo against Iraq.
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