Mediapart Alleges 2013 Antisemitic Comments by RN Leader Jordan Bardella, Who Denies Claims and Files Defamation Suit
French media outlet Mediapart has published allegations that Jordan Bardella, head of the National Rally party, made antisemitic statements in 2013. At the time, Bardella, now 31, reportedly expressed views about Jews and Zionists that have sparked controversy. In response, Bardella took to X to deny the accusations, labeling them as "crude forgeries," and announced that his attorney will file a defamation lawsuit. He claimed that these allegations are an attempt to undermine his political aspirations. Marine Le Pen, a prominent ally and presidential candidate, also dismissed the accusations as false.
Key facts
- Mediapart alleged on Monday that RN leader Jordan Bardella made antisemitic comments in writing in 2013 as a young activist.
- Mediapart reported Bardella wrote in a chat: "The Jew has to dominate other peoples, crush them, and rob them; a Zionist is necessarily a Jew, and fundamentally so."
- Bardella, 31, wrote on X that he "formally" rejected the allegations, describing them as "crude forgeries."
- Bardella told CNews that his lawyer had filed a lawsuit for defamation.
- Bardella said he believed he was being targeted to "destabilise the campaign" by the RN to win the French presidency and to "kill me off politically."
- Marine Le Pen, a close ally of Bardella and a presidential front runner, dismissed the claims as fake.
- Bardella is tipped to be prime minister if Le Pen becomes France's president.
- The allegations were published by the French investigative website Mediapart.
Entities
Artists
- Jordan Bardella
- Marine Le Pen
Institutions
- National Rally
- RN
- Mediapart
- CNews
- X
Locations
- France