In brief
Jordan Bardella, president of France’s National Rally, claims a Mediapart report has maliciously surfaced 2013 antisemitic remarks from his youth. The hard‑right leader declares the accusations a political sabotage and says he will sue for libel. Marine Le Pen responds that the claims look fabricated, while left‑wing politicians call for his resignation. The lawsuit comes as France nears a presidential election in which Le Pen is the leading candidate. The National Rally claims it has cleared its ranks of fascist elements, but controversies persist.
Jordan Bardella, the 31‑year‑old president of France’s National Rally (RN), says he will sue for libel after a Mediapart investigation released alleged antisemitic writings he supposedly made in 2013. The 18‑year‑old texts, Venues per article, include statements such as “All the banks are owned by Jews” and “The Jew must dominate others, crush them and rob them.”
Mediapart claims it authenticated the dialogue through “several months of investigation,” citing a larger documentary base and eyewitness testimony, though it did not display screenshots. Bardella dismissed the content as a campaign ruse designed to destroy his political trajectory.
In a CNews interview, Bardella accused Mediapart of either orchestrating the attack or being manipulated by external interests. He added that a lawyer had been instructed to file libel proceedings. Marine Le Pen, the RN’s presidential hopeful, echoed that the remarks appeared “so weird they can only be a forgery.”
The National Rally has pursued an image of a “cleaned‑up” party, distancing itself from its historical far‑right roots. Bardella’s last year, he was the first RN senior officer invited to a conference on antisemitism in Israel. Yet critics, including the Jewish umbrella organisation CRIF, say the alleged remarks reveal lingering prejudices within the rank.
The allegations arrive eight months before France’s election, a time when the RN is buoyed by recent gains—most recently leading the Senate race and polling favourably in polls that place Le Pen ahead of the centrist and left‑wing rivals. Supporters argue the accusations are a deliberate smear from disgruntled former members of the party expelled for extremist views.
