The antisemitic remarks that put Le Pen's party to the test
Jordan Bardella, president of France's National Rally party, is embroiled in controversy following the publication of alleged messages from his youth containing antisemitic statements, including claims that Jews control banks and a conspiracy linking the Mossad to the 9/11 attacks. Bardella denies the allegations, calling them forgeries. The affair is causing tension within the party ahead of the presidential elections.
Jordan Bardella, the 31-year-old president of France's National Rally party and a close associate of Marine Le Pen, is facing a scandal following a report by the French investigative website Mediapart, which revealed alleged messages from 2013 containing severe antisemitic remarks. Among other things, he is accused of writing that all banks are owned by Jews, that Jews seek to dominate other nations and establish a new world order led by Israel, and of spreading conspiracy theories linking the Israeli Mossad to the 9/11 attacks. Bardella vehemently denies the claims, calling the messages forgeries and stating his intention to file defamation lawsuits. The affair presents a significant test for the National Rally party, after Marine Le Pen spent over a decade working to distance the party from the antisemitic image that once plagued it. Bardella himself has visited Israel as part of these efforts. One of his critics, Joseph Martin, a former party candidate, is now demanding Bardella's suspension until the allegations are clarified, as was required of him in the past.