The family rift tearing France 's National Front apart plunged to new depths today when Jean-Marie Le Pen said his daughter Marine 'may want me dead ' . It follows the 87-year-old honorary president of the far-right party falling out with Ms Le Pen , the current leader , over his extreme views . She was particularly angry that Mr Le Pen , a convicted racist and anti-Semite , called the Nazi gas chambers ' a detail of history ' . Outage : Jean-Marie Le Pen angered his daughter when he said Nazi gas chambers were ' a detail of history ' Anger : The 87-year-old has now said his Marine - the leader of the Front Nationale - 'may want him dead ' But , in response to suggestions he should step down from his position , Mr Le Pen told RTL radio it was a 'crazy idea ' . Mr Le Pen explained : 'The prestige that I obviously still have within the National Front would cause a considerable stir , and a loss of influence for Marine that she probably does n't gauge . ' He added : 'Marine Le Pen may want me dead , that 's possible , but she must not count on my co-operation . ' In an interview on Wednesday , Mr Le Pen flamed allegations of anti-Semitism by praising the wartime leader Marshall Phillippe Petain , who collaborated with the Nazis . Mr Le Pen also said that France 's Spanish-born Socialist Prime Minister was an 'immigrant ' and so unfit to run the country . And he made it clear that he was 'nostalgic ' for the days when Algeria , the biggest country in Africa , was French . Stubborn : However , Mr Le Pen has refused to step down as honorary president of the far right party . Ms Le Pen took over the National Front ( FN ) from her father in 2011 , and has tried to purge it of its extremists . Furious with her father 's latest outburst , his daughter said she would oppose his candidacy in December elections to lead the southeastern Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region . She said his 'scorched earth strategy ' of causing maximum public outrage amounted to 'political suicide ' . 'The FN does n't want to be held hostage to his vulgar provocations , ' said Ms Le Pen , adding : 'His aim is to harm . ' Denier : Mr Le Pen is known for his anti-semitic views , and was found guilty of Holocaust denial in 2008 . In an interview with Rivarol magazine , Mr Le Pen stood by his gas chambers remark , saying : ' I am not the type of man who changes his mind or crawls . ' In a poll published last year , 83 per cent of French described Mr Le Pen as a handicap to his daughter as she fights to become president in 2017 . The party has enjoyed immense electoral success over the past year , winning 25 per cent of the popular vote in local and European elections a year ago . Socialist Party leader Jean-Christophe Cambadelis suggesting the in-fighting exposes the true nature of the FN , saying : 'Jean-Marie Le Pen says out loud what many FN leaders , members and even voters think . 'Behind all that lies a political debate : should they keep what sets the far-Right apart or hide it to win elections ? Marine Le Pen has chosen to hide it , Jean-Marie to affirm it . '
Marie Le Pen has fallen out with her father over his 'extreme views ' The 87-year-old convicted racist said Nazi gas chambers ' a detail of history ' Marine said Rivarol 'does n't want to be held hostage to his vulgar provocations ' She will oppose him standing in December poll amid calls for him to resign . But honorary president Jean-Marie said stepping down is a 'crazy idea '