How Marine Le Pen Fell Out with the German Far Right

Trip to Tropical Island Brings National Rally to Brink of Break-Up with Alternative for.

French far-right politician Marine Le Pen said her party will end cooperation with the Alternative for Germany in the next European Parliament election after a row over her support for gay marriage.

Le Pen, who leads the National Rally party, had been seeking to build a broad alliance of nationalist parties across Europe.

But her hopes were dealt a blow when the Alternative for Germany (AfD), one of the largest far-right parties in Europe, announced it would not work with her party in the upcoming election.

The AfD said Le Pen's support for gay marriage was "incompatible" with its own values.

Le Pen has spent a decade seeking to "detoxify" the political movement founded by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in an effort to win the presidency.

But her efforts have been hampered by the AfD's decision to break off cooperation with her party.

The split between the two parties is a major setback for Le Pen's ambitions of creating a large nationalist coalition in the European Parliament after the June election.

Though Le Pen leads the party, its European efforts were spearheaded by far-right poster boy Jordan Bardella, 28.