France/Belgium: Le Pen questioned about arms
01 March 1999
MEP and president of the extreme right Front National (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen, was detained in Brussels during March after Belgian police discovered an arsenal of weapons in his car. The possible lifting of his parliamentary immunity, to enable police to question him, will put further pressure on the FN leader as legal battles, financial emergencies, the desertion of key players and electoral collapse throw doubt on the party's credibility as a viable political force.
Le Pen was stopped in his car by police in Brussels leading to the discovery of the arsenal which included a pump-action shotgun, a handgun, an extendable police baton, teargas grenades, a canister of pepper-spray and ammunition. This "protection equipment", as an FN press release described the weapons, was apparently covered by permits issued to Le Pen's chauffeur and to members of the FN's paramilitary "security force". However, not all of them were valid in Belgium and at least one was out of date.
Le Pen was detained by police but later released because of his parliamentary immunity, which may yet be lifted to enable further investigation. It is not the first time that the MEP has been found in possession of firearms; he was stopped with a revolver ten years ago while in the United States. Le Pen claimed that he had been the victim of "set up", implying that police had been tipped-off by his rival in the acrimonious FN split, Bruno Megret.
The disintegration of the FN was reflected in the resignation of their mayor in Toulon, Jean-Marie Le Chevellier, who accused Le Pen of taking "damaging initiatives" and being unable to "share power", before walking out. Le Chevellier has declined joining Megret's Front National-Mouvement National (FN-MN) declaring that he will stand as an independent. Toulon was the largest town the FN had won and the mayor's defection leaves Le Pen in control of only one town hall (Orange in the Rhone Valley). Two other FN controlled towns have sided with Megret as have the majority of FN councillors.
The decline in the FN's electoral fortunes, indicated by opinion polls, was confirmed by the March by-election in the southern town of Aubagne. FN candidate, Joelle Melin, polled 12% of the vote, down from 22% last year. Former FN voters deserted to the Democratie Liberale (DL) candidate who took the seat following an intervention from Megret who declined to contest the election and called on FN-MN supporters to back the DL candidate. This tacit collaboration begs the question of whether there will be further cooperation between the DL and the FN-MN in future elections.
Liberation 24.3.99, 30.3.99; Guardian 30.3.99; Independent 31.3.99.