Jordan Bardella, leader of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party, has rejected allegations of antisemitic statements he allegedly made as a young party member. The investigative website Mediapart published a report detailing comments Bardella purportedly wrote between 2013 and 2015, when he was aged 17 to 18 and a member of the organization then known as the Front National. According to Mediapart’s investigation, the authenticated comments included antisemitic conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric about Jewish people and Israeli interests.
Bardella described the Mediapart report as false and characterized the publication as part of a “total war” aimed at destabilizing his party’s presidential campaign ahead of the 2027 election. He announced plans to pursue legal action against the organization for defamation and received support from party lawmakers at a parliamentary meeting. Le Pen, who currently leads the party, expressed her confidence in Bardella at his side during the public response.
The controversy has disrupted the National Rally’s efforts to rehabilitate its public image. Since assuming party leadership in 2011, Le Pen has worked to distance the organization from its historical association with antisemitism, including direct outreach to French Jewish voters. Her efforts have included Bardella’s unprecedented visit to Israel in 2025, presented as evidence of the party’s reformed stance.
Political opponents and civil society organizations have responded sharply to the allegations. French government officials, including the foreign minister and minister for equality, characterized the comments as emblematic of the far right’s true nature. The umbrella group of French Jewish organizations expressed concern that the alleged statements contradict the party’s claims of transformation. Several political figures, including the Green party leader, called for Bardella to resign from his positions, arguing that such comments are incompatible with claims of defending Jewish interests.
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