In a dramatic response to a Mediapart exposé alleging antisemitic remarks made by him in 2013, Jordan Bardella, the 31‑year‑old president of France’s National Rally (RN), has announced a libel lawsuit and condemned the investigation as an attempt to destabilise the party.
The report, released after several months of digging into Bardella’s youth‑era conversations, claimed he used tropes such as “all banks are owned by Jews” and that “the Jewish people must dominate others.” Bardella denied the claims, arguing the material was fabricated to ruin his political career. He told CNews that either Mediapart was “running this operation itself” or the story was manipulated by “interested parties” and he has engaged legal counsel.
Marine Le Pen, RN’s presidential candidate, echoed Bardella’s stance, calling the allegations “so weird they could only be a forgery.” She reminded her followers that the party has “particularly heightened its shields against antisemitism” and its steps toward distancing itself from far‑right roots have led to the invitation of Bardella to an Israeli conference on antisemitism last year.
Supporters within the RN have accused dissenters, recently expelled for antisemitic views, of sowing discord. Jean‑Philippe Tanguy, a deputy, warned that “these people have always had it in for us.” Meanwhile, the ideological divide is reflected in current polls that put Le Pen in the lead for a May second‑round against radical left candidate Jean‑Luc Mélenchon, who would be outvoted with 69% of the vote, and even over centrist Edouard Philippe with 57%.
As the election approaches, the incident re‑ignites debate over the RN’s transformation and the broader question of how far‑right movements in Europe manage their historical baggage while courting wider voter bases.
