France's far-right to sue Madonna over swastika video

Video at singer's Paris show includes picture of Nazi symbol on Marine Le Pen's face

France's far-right Front National (FN) is to sue Madonna for using a picture of its leader with a swastika on her forehead.

A spokesman for Marine Le Pen, the FN president who came third in the May presidential elections, said a lawsuit for "public insult" would be lodged with the Paris courts in the next few days.

At a concert in the French capital on Saturday evening, the American singer showed a video in which Le Pen's face appears with other well-known figures including Pope Benedict, Chinese leader Hu Jintao and US Republican Sarah Palin. In the clip, shown on a giant screen to accompany the song Nobody Knows Me, Le Pen, 43, appears with the Nazi symbol overlaid on her face, just before an image resembling Adolf Hitler.

The image sent a ripple through the crowd at Le Stade de France, where Madonna was performing as part of her 80-date world tour.

Le Pen, who has tried to clean up the FN's Nazi-sympathising image since taking over from her father Jean-Marie 18 months ago, had already warned that she would take Madonna, 53, to court if she aired the video in France.

After the singer first used the image at a concert in Tel Aviv at the end of May, Le Pen said: "If she tries that in France, we'll see what happens," adding: "It's understandable when ageing singers who need publicity go to such extremes."

Even the Socialist government spokesperson, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, has said that the comparison of Le Pen to Hitler is regrettable.

On Sunday, Florian Philippot, the FN vice-president, described it as a provocation and a "very serious insult". He accused Madonna of "trying to get more people to her concerts".

"We cannot accept everything. We cannot accept this insulting connection. Marine Le Pen is defending her honour, but also that of party members and supporters and the millions of Front National voters," he said.

The Paris concert, which was not sold out, is one of two French dates by Madonna this summer. She is due to perform in Nice on 21 August.