French far-right leader Bardella denies writing antisemitic messages
by https://euobserver.com/author/zuzanna-stawiska/ · EUobserverepa13198449 Far-right party National Rally president Jordan Bardella (C) talks to the press during his visit to the Agriculture Fair in Chalons-en-Champagne, France, 29 August 2026. The fair runs from 28 August to 07 September 2026 EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA (Source: EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA)
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By Zuzanna Stawiska,
Jordan Bardella, a leader of the French far-right National Rally, has denied writing antisemitic messages in 2013, as the race ahead of next May’s presidential elections continues to heat up.
An investigation by the left-leaning outlet Mediapart said on Thursday (1 October) that it could authenticate antisemitic messages from 2013 and attribute them to Bardella.
In the messages, Bardella, an MEP and chair of the far-right Patriots for Europe group, said “all the banks are owned by Jews” and that Israel aims to create a new world order. Earlier media reports also found his secret Twitter account publishing racist content, such as mocking a young Black man who had suffered police violence.
He denied having written the messages, calling the evidence “crude montages” and “obscure screenshots that can easily be manipulated,” he wrote on social media, adding he would sue Mediapart for defamation.
“Either Mediapart is running this operation itself, or it is being manipulated by interested parties,” he has said.
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epa13198449 Far-right party National Rally president Jordan Bardella (C) talks to the press during his visit to the Agriculture Fair in Chalons-en-Champagne, France, 29 August 2026. The fair runs from 28 August to 07 September 2026 EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA (Source: EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA)
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Zuzanna Stawiska is a junior reporter covering European affairs. She also writes stories for the European Correspondent.
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