The
National Front (, ,
FN), is a
socially conservative,
nationalist political party in
France. Its major policies include economic
protectionism, a
zero tolerance approach to
law and order issues, and
opposition to immigration. A
eurosceptic party, the FN has opposed the
European Union since its creation in 1993. Most political commentators place the FN on the
right to
far right but party representatives reject this and suggest other ways of looking at the
left–right axis. The party was founded in 1972 to unify a variety of
French nationalist movements of the time.
Jean-Marie Le Pen was the party's first leader and the undisputed centre of the party from its start until his resignation in 2011.
Marine Le Pen, his daughter, was elected as the current leader. While the party struggled as a marginal force for its first ten years, since 1984 it has been the major force of
French nationalism.