French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her National Rally allies have closed ranks behind Jordan Bardella after investigative website Mediapart attributed antisemitic remarks to him from more than a decade ago.
Mediapart said the remarks, concerning alleged Jewish banking monopolies and other antisemitic conspiracy theories, came from private written exchanges that it independently authenticated. It did not disclose how it obtained or authenticated the material. Bardella, 31, has denied writing the comments and launched a libel action against Mediapart, calling the allegations a “dirty-tricks operation.”
“These remarks are completely delusional. They are not mine,” Bardella told broadcaster CNews.
Le Pen has said Bardella would be her prime minister if she wins the presidency in the April-May election. At a previously scheduled gathering of National Rally politicians on Tuesday, Le Pen, Bardella and their ally Eric Ciotti presented a united front and described the allegations as an attempt to destabilise the party’s campaign to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
“It is the beginnings of an all-out war, of attempts to destabilise the presidential campaign,” Bardella said. Le Pen expressed “absolute confidence” in him, who is popular with younger voters and has a large social-media following.
The allegations are particularly sensitive for National Rally because Le Pen has spent years distancing herself and the party from the legacy of her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. He founded the party’s predecessor, the National Front, and was convicted multiple times of hate speech, discrimination and inciting racial violence. Marine Le Pen expelled him from the party in 2015 and rebranded it as National Rally in 2018.
The party has also sought support from Jewish voters by presenting itself as a bulwark against Islamic extremism in France. Yonathan Arfi, head of the French Jewish umbrella group CRIF, said that if the allegations were substantiated, they would represent “a stinging repudiation” of the party’s effort to distance itself from its past.
This report is based on the Associated Press, which reported on Mediapart’s allegations and Bardella’s denials.
