French far-right leader sues Mediapart over antisemitism allegations

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has filed a defamation lawsuit against French investigative outlet Mediapart over an article alleging that he made antisemitic remarks in private messages more than a decade ago, calling the report an attempt to “destabilize” the election campaign, Caliber.Az reports, citing Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel.

Bardella heads France’s far-right National Rally (RN). Marine Le Pen, the party’s presidential candidate, is leading in opinion polls ahead of the April presidential election.

Mediapart said it had examined dozens of private messages dating from 2013 to 2015 that it claims demonstrate the systematic use of antisemitic and conspiratorial rhetoric. The outlet quoted one message attributed to Bardella as saying: “All the banks are owned by Jews.”

The publication also said its report drew on testimony from former party colleagues, whom it identified by name and the first letter of their surname.

Bardella rejected the allegations, saying: “These statements are completely delusional. They are not mine. There is clearly an attempt to destabilize the campaign, coincidentally, just months before an election where we are leading in the polls. Again, I believe the French people are not fooled. They see that everything is being done to undermine us.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X: “To all those with short memories: antisemitism is not a mere blip for the RN; it is the very history of this party. This is the true face of the far right.”

Le Pen, meanwhile, said the Mediapart article could “only be a fake, a manipulation, a dirty trick.”

A series of antisemitic, Islamophobic and racist comments made by some RN candidates undermined the party’s hopes of securing a parliamentary majority in France’s 2024 legislative elections. Bardella subsequently pledged to avoid such “casting errors” in the future.