French Right-Wing Leader Bardella Files Lawsuit Over Antisemitic Remarks Allegation
Bardella says the messages are crude forgeries and says his legal team will pursue defamation proceedings as Mediapart stands by its authentication.
- On Monday, investigative outlet Mediapart published a report alleging National Rally leader Jordan Bardella sent antisemitic private messages between 2013 and 2015. Bardella denied the claims as "crude forgeries" and announced a defamation lawsuit.
- These allegations complicate the National Rally's decade-long "de-demonisation" project, which seeks to distance the party from the antisemitic legacy of founder Jean-Marie Le Pen ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
- Mediapart maintains it authenticated dozens of private exchanges where Bardella allegedly wrote, "all the banks are owned by Jews." The outlet did not publish screenshots, which Bardella's legal team cites to dismiss the report as a "dirty-tricks operation."
- Marine Le Pen expressed "total confidence" in Bardella on Tuesday, characterizing the report as an attempt to "destabilise" the campaign. She joined him and lawmaker Eric Ciotti to demonstrate party unity and vowed to "counter-attack."
- Yonathan Arfi, head of Jewish umbrella group CRIF, warned that if substantiated, the alleged remarks represent "a stinging repudiation" of the National Rally's sanitization strategy. The controversy tests the party's mainstream viability as it leads polls for the 2027 election.
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177 Articles
Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s intended prime minister, faces antisemitism allegations
French far-right politician denies writing antisemitic remarks and conspiracy theories at 17, threatening legal action as National Rally calls the report an attempt to derail Le Pen’s presidential campaign
Reactions followed the publication by the Mediapart news site of old anti-Semitic messages attributed to the president of the RN.
If Jordan Bardella is to be believed, he is the victim of a "political assassination attempt." But there is much evidence that accusations of fervent anti-Semitism in his youth could cost the right-wing nationalist leader dearly.
French Far-Right Leader Bardella Says He Has Filed Lawsuit Over Antisemitic Remarks Claim
French far–right leader Jordan Bardella said on Monday he had filed a defamation lawsuit against investigative website Mediapart over a report alleging he made antisemitic remarks in private messages over a decade ago, saying the story was an effort to “destabilize”...
The president of a party founded by former Waffen-SS would be... anti-Semitic. This is what Mediapart reveals in an investigation published yesterday, which highlights the conspiracy and anti-Semitic writings attributed to Jordan Bardella.
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