French far-right leader Bardella refutes anti-Semitism allegations
Mediapart's explosive report comes a day after France's National Rally party secures a record number of Senate seats.
According to a French investigative website, National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella allegedly made antisemitic comments in writing in 2013. However, Bardella, who is close to presidential front-runner Marine Le Pen, has rejected the claims as "crude forgeries" and filed a defamation lawsuit against the website Mediapart. Mediapart's investigation claims to have authenticated the comments made by Bardella in private chats when he was 17 or 18 years old.
The allegations include Bardella stating that the "Jew has to dominate other peoples, crush them, and rob them" and that "all the banks are owned by Jews." Le Pen herself has dismissed the purported comments as fake, accusing Mediapart of "dirty tricks." Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, called the allegations "extremely serious" and criticized Bardella's party for being a "haven for identitarians and conspiracy theorists."
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- French far-right’s Bardella denies alleged antisemitic comments, files defamation lawsuit scmp.com
- France's Bardella denies alleged antisemitic comments rte.ie
- French far-right leader Bardella denies media claim he made antisemitic remarks al-monitor.com
- French far right's Jordan Bardella denies alleged 2013 anti-Semitic comments france24.com
- National Rally's Bardella denies report he made antisemitic remarks euronews.com
- Bardella confirms his lawyer has filed a lawsuit for defamation lemonde.fr
