National Rally’s Bardella denies report he made antisemitic remarks

Jordan Bardella rejects antisemitism allegations as French political dispute intensifies

Usagevpn.com – Jordan Bardella, president of France’s hard-right National Rally party, has strongly denied allegations that he made antisemitic and conspiracy-minded comments during his early years in politics.

The claims have placed Bardella at the heart of a fresh controversy as he becomes an increasingly prominent figure within the National Rally, known by its French initials RN. They also revive scrutiny of the party’s long and difficult efforts to move away from the antisemitic legacy associated with its founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Claims concern private exchanges from 2013 to 2015

An investigation published by Mediapart on Monday said it had reviewed private conversations dating from 2013 to 2015. The outlet alleged that Bardella made several antisemitic remarks and promoted conspiratorial ideas involving Jewish political figures and people perceived as having links to Israel.

Bardella turned 18 on 13 September 2013. The following year, he became the National Front’s departmental secretary in Seine-Saint-Denis, beginning a rapid ascent in the party that later became the National Rally.

Among the alleged comments, Bardella was said to have expressed a view portraying Jewish people as seeking domination over others. He was also alleged to have invoked the false “New World Order” conspiracy theory, claiming that Israel and Jerusalem would stand at its centre.

The Jew must dominate other peoples, crush them and rob them; a Zionist is necessarily a Jew, and one through and through.

And that is what they want: a New World Order dominated by Israel, with Jerusalem, of course, as its capital.

Such language reflects longstanding antisemitic tropes that falsely depict Jewish people as a unified force working to control governments, societies or global affairs. These conspiracy narratives have historically been used to fuel prejudice and discrimination.

Bardella calls allegations “blatant fabrications”

Before publication, Bardella formally rejected the allegations. He later used X to deny that he had ever made the remarks attributed to him, describing them as inventions designed to damage him politically.

I formally refute the accusations levelled against me by Mediapart, which attribute to me delusional and antisemitic remarks that I allegedly made whilst I was a minor.

He argued that political opponents and parts of the media were attempting to interfere with the presidential campaign at a moment when the National Rally believes its ideas are closer than ever to gaining power.

At a time when the victory of our ideas has never been so close, certain militant sections of the press are prepared to orchestrate smear campaigns to destabilise the presidential campaign and undermine my reputation.

Bardella said he had asked his lawyer to pursue all necessary legal action against Mediapart.

Le Pen defends her political ally

Marine Le Pen, Bardella’s political mentor and one of the National Rally’s most influential leaders, dismissed the claims while visiting a construction trade fair in Paris on Monday. She said she could not accept what she described as absurd accusations and accused Mediapart of using “dirty tricks” and conducting “smear campaigns.”

Bardella has become one of Le Pen’s closest allies and a central figure in the party’s strategy to broaden its appeal. His public profile has grown as the RN seeks to present itself as a party capable of governing, while retaining its hard-line positions on issues such as immigration, national identity and security.

For the party, the dispute is especially sensitive because its leadership has spent years seeking to distinguish the modern RN from statements and controversies surrounding Jean-Marie Le Pen. The party’s former leader was repeatedly criticised and convicted over remarks connected to Holocaust denial and antisemitism.

Mediapart cites months of investigation

Edwy Plenel, a cofounder of Mediapart, defended the investigation and said the material emerged from work carried out over several months. He said the reporting drew on dozens of written exchanges that had been independently verified, along with witness testimony and a broader collection of evidence.

The opposing accounts set the stage for a potentially significant legal and political confrontation. Bardella’s denial is unequivocal, while Mediapart has maintained that its reporting rests on verified documentary material.

The affair arrives at a consequential point for the National Rally. As Bardella’s influence rises, scrutiny of his past statements and political development is likely to remain intense. The outcome of any legal action, and the evidence made public in support of the allegations, could shape how voters assess both Bardella personally and the party’s claim to have broken with its former image.