Thread: The $83,000 selfie: Jean-Marie Le Pen to sue Madonna's ex-partner Brahim Zaibat

Jean-Marie Le Pen is to sue a French dancer for €50,000 (NZ$83,000) in damages for an unflattering selfie taken on a plane.

The photograph was taken by Brahim Zaibat, an ex-boyfriend of Madonna, who is a dancer, choreographer and former winner of the French version of Strictly Come Dancing.

Zaibat was seated behind the far-right firebrand, who was recently ousted as the FN's honorary president by his daughter and successor, Marine. In the photo, the former far-right Front National (FN) leader can be seen snoozing, open-mouthed while on a domestic flight, while the dancer grins, wide-eyed. He shared the photo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, calling on followers and the public at large to vote against the FN in the second round of December's regional elections. Polls suggested the far-right was poised to win up to four of 12 regions.

"Let's all vote tomorrow to give them a knockout blow. To preserve our fraternal France," read the text posted by the dancer, which notched up tens of thousands of "likes". The next day, the FN failed to win a single region.

Zaibat admitted he had taken the photo two months previously and had timed its release for maximum effect.

Furious, Le Pen said the photo "harmed his image and was instrumental in the defeat of the party led by Marine", according to Public magazine.

He is claiming €50,000 (NZ$83,000) in damages and a written apology on social media. Failing that, he is demanding €10,000 for each day that Zaibat fails to say sorry after the ruling. "It's my private life and I want to protect myself against this type of behaviour," Le Pen told the rue89 website.

According to Public, Le Pen's complaint mentions Madonna, who said she might take legal action against the far-right ex-leader in response.

The $83,000 selfie: Jean-Marie Le Pen to sue Madonna's ex-partner Brahim Zaibat

I don't see the problem here. Zaibat is the one with a silly face. Le Pen looks rather grandfatherish.

Le Pen has been an hard worker a soldier a patriot serving his country all his life brahim has been a wanker 22 years jerking on himself if has not a Madonna

By IMOGEN CALDERWOOD and PETER ALLEN IN PARIS FOR MAINLINE PUBLISHED: 19:18 GMT, 10 February 2016 | UPDATED: 20:54 GMT, 10 February 2016

Madonna's ex boyfriend is fined 1 EURO for selfie with sleeping Jean-Marie Le Pen

Madonna's ex boyfriend is fined ONE EURO for posting a selfie with sleeping French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen

Frenchman Brahim Zaibat posted selfie with sleeping Jean-Marie Le Pen

He then shared the unflattering image on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Le Pen claimed the snap stopped National Front winning regional elections

Court found the snap didn't violate Mr Le Pen's exclusive right to his image

Madonna's ex-boyfriend has been fined just one euro after taking an unflattering selfie with the French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen while he slept.

Mr Le Pen, 87, was fast asleep on a plane when fellow Frenchman Brahim Zaibat, 29, snapped him on the flight between Paris and the southern city of Nice.

Mr Zaibat, a professional dancer who dated the queen of pop for three years, then shared the photo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The unflattering snap - which showed Mr Le Pen with his head back and mouth hanging open - was tweeted more than 12,000 times after it was posted on December 12, ahead of France's regional elections.

The dancer can be seen in the seat behind Mr Le Pen, wearing headphones and smiling broadly.

But a Paris court has ordered Mr Zaibat to remove the offending image, after Mr Le Pen took him to court for invasion of privacy and copyright.

Although the National Front founder was seeking 50,000 euros (£39,000) in damages, Mr Zaibat was only fined a token one euro, reported The Local.

The court found that while the photo 'was of a humorous nature and was used to send a political message', it did not violate Mr Le Pen's exclusive right to his image, according to French law.

It added that the photo, which was actually taken two years ago, was 'neither degrading nor malicious'.

However, Mr Zaibat was also ordered to pay 3,000 euros (£2,300) in legal fees and take down the image within 48 hours or be fined 1,000 euros (£780) for every day it remained online.

Mr Zaibat used the image to urge voters not to back Mr Le Pen's far right National Front (NF) party in the second round of regional elections in December.

'Let's all vote tomorrow to give them a knock-out blow, to preserve our brotherly France' wrote Mr Zaibat, whose father comes from a North African immigrant background.

Mr Le Pen said the photo harmed his public image, and contributed to the defeat of the party in the elections.

The National Front, which is now led by his daughter, Marine Le Pen, constantly campaigns against immigration, especially from former French African colonies such as Algeria.

Mr Le Pen is a convicted racist and anti-Semite who has often complained about the number of people with foreign backgrounds in France.

He was officially expelled from the party last year because of his extreme views about the Nazi Holocaust, but remains an NF affiliated MEP.

Mr Zaibat’s lawyer Vincent Toledano confirmed that he would appeal the decision.

Read more: Madonna's ex boyfriend is fined 1 EURO for selfie with sleeping Jean-Marie Le Pen* | Daily Mail Online