Paris-- More than 1,000 people attended a memorial service in central Paris on Thursday for Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's main far-right party, who died last week at the age of 96.

The Mass for the Repose of Souls at the Church of Our Lady of the Valley was held under tight security as Le Pen is a polarizing figure who has been repeatedly convicted of anti-Semitism, discrimination and inciting racial violence.

Family members, including his daughter Marine Le Pen, now leader of France's far-right, other National Rally party officials and long-time supporters gathered at the church. The general public can watch the ceremony on a large screen outside.

A private funeral was held last week in Le Pen's hometown of La Trinité-sur-Mer in Brittany.

Jean-Marie had three daughters, including the youngest Marina. She transformed her father's National Front in the 2010s, renaming it the National Rally and turning it into one of France's most powerful political forces. She is now eyeing the 2027 presidential election.

After the mass, Le Pen's family walked out of the church and the crowd applauded them.

Among those present at the ceremony was Eric Zemmour, a controversial talk show pundit with far-right views who ran against Marine Le Pen in the last presidential election in 2022 Pen) ​​competition. Zemour has been convicted multiple times for inciting racist or religious hatred.

Also present was Le Pen's niece Marion Maréchal, now a member of the European Parliament who joined forces with Zemour before founding her own far-right party last year.

French comedian Dieudonné M'Bala M'Bala, who has been convicted several times of inciting anti-Semitism or racial hatred, also attended events outside the church. He said on social media that the court allowed him to leave. The comedian has been under house arrest since May and wears an electronic bracelet.

Authorities deployed numerous police officers around the church on Thursday to avoid any security incident.

The far-right politician's death last week forced thousands of demonstrators to descend on Paris' Place de la République to celebrate the news. Crowds could be seen dancing and chanting: "Happy New Year, Jean-Marie is dead." Similar parties were held in other French cities, including Lyon and Marseille.

Anti-racist organization SOS Racisme paid tribute to "generations of activists who have dedicated their time, youth and energy to confronting the National Front and its ideas".

In a 1987 interview, Jean-Marie Le Pen called the Nazi gas chambers "a detail in the history of World War II."

In 2015, he repeated the line, saying he regretted it "not at all", sparking anger from his daughter, who was then party leader. She tried to distance herself from her father's extremist image, and that year he was expelled from the party.