Bardella's Future in Balance After Antisemitism Claims
Bardella says the screenshots are fake and accuses opponents of trying to derail the National Rally’s rise as party tensions grow.
- Mediapart published allegations on Monday that 31-year-old National Rally leader Jordan Bardella wrote antisemitic messages in 2013, with the website posting Facebook Messenger screenshots on Thursday.
- Bardella has been central to Marine Le Pen's strategy of 'de-demonization' to distance the National Rally from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen's antisemitic legacy, though a week ago polls predicted Le Pen would win the presidency and Bardella would become prime minister.
- According to the report, Bardella wrote in a chat: 'The Jew has to dominate other peoples, crush them, and rob them; a Zionist is necessarily a Jew, and fundamentally so.' Bardella denied the allegations, accusing opponents of launching a 'total war' to derail the National Rally's rise to the presidency.
- Le Pen addressed party MPs side-by-side with Bardella on Tuesday, echoing his denial, and told La Tribune Dimanche this weekend, 'I have complete confidence in Jordan.' Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin questioned whether voters want a prime minister who 'lies to the French people in the face of damning evidence.'
- Sociologist Erwan Lecoeur noted Le Pen must back Bardella to avoid alienating voters, though he believes she may eventually 'pull the plug on' him as 'the deeper he digs himself into a hole-- taking the National Rally down with him.' Months of tensions between the two have also surfaced.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said in a statement published on Saturday that she had full confidence in her closest ally Jordan Bardella, who an investigative news website has accused of anti-Semitic comments made in 2013, AFP reported. "I have full confidence in Jordan," Le Pen said in a brief statement published by the newspaper La Tribune Dimanche. Bardella, who is expected to become prime minister if Le Pen wins the presiden…
Marine Le Pen had not yet expressed itself since the publication on Thursday 1 October of Mediapart's "evidences" concerning the anti-Semitic writings attributed to Jordan Bardella. The RN candidate in the presidential election chose to do so in La Tribune Sunday, she clearly affirms her support to the party president.
After two days of silence, following the publication in Mediapart of the written exchange of anti-Semitic words attributed to Jordan Bardella, Marine Le Pen claims to maintain his confidence.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
