Jordan Bardella threatens libel action after alleged antisemitic remarks surface

President of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, has officially declared his intention to sue the French investigative website Mediapart for libel after it revealed what it claims are antisemitic comments he made as a teenager. The allegations were drawn from a 2013 chat log that Mediapart says it authenticates through “several months” of research and corroborating witness statements.

The controversial excerpts – citing statements such as “all banks are owned by Jews” and a desire for a “new world order dominated by Israel” – were presented without screenshots, a choice that has only fueled speculation about their authenticity. Bardella, 31, argues that the claims are a deliberate smear intended to sabotage the National Rally’s campaign as France approaches its presidential elections.

Marine Le Pen, Bardella’s party’s presidential candidate, rejected the allegations as a fabrication, describing them as “dirty tricks” that may be orchestrated by Mediapart or its sympathisers. The French far‑right’s political fortunes were spotlighted in recent polls, with Le Pen placing ahead of rivals in the first round and outperforming centrist candidates in potential run‑offs.

Opposition figures and Jewish community leaders, including the head of Crif, Yonathan Arfi, called for Bardella’s resignation, citing the remarks as evidence of lingering antisemitic currents within the party. Meanwhile, National Rally deputy Jean‑Philippe Tanguy countered that the allegations stem from “the antisemitic rabble” purged by Le Pen in earlier years, framing them as part of an internal power struggle.

The dispute has placed the National Rally under renewed scrutiny amid broader concerns about the party’s commitment to combating antisemitism. As the election cycle intensifies, the legal back‑stop Bardella is pursuing may become a pivotal moment in defining the rally’s narrative moving forward.