Jean-Marie Le Pen, the 96-year-old founder of the far-right National Front (now National Rally) in France, has passed away, prompting widespread reactions across the country. His death unexpectedly led to the rise of a cultural phenomenon: the lyrics from the song “No One Mourns the Wicked” from the musical Wicked became a trending topic on X (formerly Twitter).
Le Pen’s political influence was profound, shaping France’s far-right landscape for decades. He became France’s youngest lawmaker in 1956 and founded the National Front in 1972, which later became National Rally. Despite his political achievements, Le Pen was consistently criticized for his connections to Nazi collaborators and his hardline nationalist views.
While some, such as Jordan Bardella, current leader of National Rally, paid tribute to Le Pen’s service to France, others, like Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the far-left France Unbowed party, rejected any positive commemoration, condemning his actions as “intolerable.”
As the country reacted to his death, French social media users flocked to X, sharing lyrics from the Wicked song, “No one mourns the wicked,” to express their feelings about Le Pen’s controversial legacy. The line became a viral refrain, highlighting the divide in public opinion surrounding his life and impact.
