World
Jordan Bardella rejected an investigation that attributed antisemitic messages to him from 2013
The National Rally leader flatly denied the accusations published by Mediapart and announced legal action. Marine Le Pen came out in support of him, while members of the Jewish community and the government warned about the seriousness of the case.
Jordan Bardella, president of National Rally (RN), denied on Monday the accusations published by the investigative site Mediapart, which attributed to him antisemitic comments written in private conversations in 2013, when he was 17 or 18 years old.
According to the investigation cited by France 24 and POLITICO Europe, Mediapart said it had independently obtained and verified exchanges in which Bardella allegedly wrote anti-Jewish phrases, as well as conspiratorial references about Israel and the banking system. The outlet did not publish screenshots or specify on which platform those messages would have been sent, according to France 24.
Bardella rejected the accusations on X, calling them forgeries and obvious falsehoods, and said he instructed his lawyer to begin legal action against Mediapart. He also accused a “militant press” of driving a smear operation to destabilize the presidential campaign and damage his honor.
Marine Le Pen publicly backed her ally and said the alleged messages were false. According to France 24, she also accused Mediapart of resorting to “dirty tricks,” while POLITICO Europe reported that she described the publication as “madness.”
The controversy affects a force that for years has sought to distance itself from accusations of antisemitism tied to its history. POLITICO Europe recalled that Marine Le Pen tried to move the party away from its most extreme factions after taking over its leadership in 2011 and even expelled her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2015. It also noted that in 2023 Bardella sparked controversy by denying that Jean-Marie Le Pen was antisemitic, before correcting himself days later.
From the French Jewish community, Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, told AFP, according to France 24, that the statements attributed to Bardella are strikingly violent and cannot be relativized because of his age. He also questioned that the party presents itself as opposed to antisemitism while, in his view, it remains a space for identitarians and conspiracy theorists.
French minister Aurore Bergé said, also according to France 24, that the messages would be “extremely serious” if their authenticity were confirmed and considered that their antisemitic and conspiratorial tone recalls the true nature of the far right.
The controversy emerged at a favorable moment for Marine Le Pen. France 24 reported that a new poll placed her ahead in the first round of the presidential election scheduled for April 2027 and with an advantage in a possible runoff. The same outlet also noted that the leader celebrated as a historic fact that RN secured enough seats to form its own bloc in the Senate for the first time.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
