French Far-Right Leader Defends Aide Accused of Antisemitism

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Rally party, has publicly backed her senior associate Jordan Bardella following a report alleging antisemitic remarks he made in 2013. Bardella, 31, who is slated to become prime minister if Le Pen wins next year's presidential election, is accused of writing inflammatory messages against Jews when he was 17. According to an investigation by the investigative journalism website Mediapart, Bardella wrote in private messages that "all banks are owned by Jews," that "the Jew must control other nations, crush them and rob them," and that "a Zionist is necessarily a Jew, and deeply and fundamentally."

Bardella has vehemently denied the accusations, calling them "utterly absurd" and announcing his intention to file a defamation lawsuit against Mediapart. During a party meeting on Tuesday, senior National Rally officials presented a united front. Le Pen expressed "absolute confidence" in Bardella, suggesting the report is a "manipulation" by political rivals aimed at hindering her party's momentum ahead of the elections, and vowed to expose those behind it. Bardella himself characterized the publication as the "opening shot of a total war" against their election campaign.

The controversy threatens to undermine Le Pen's efforts to distance the party from the antisemitic legacy of her father and party founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen. As part of outreach efforts to the Jewish community, Bardella visited Israel last year and attended a conference on combating antisemitism, becoming the first far-right leader invited by the Israeli government. Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), stated that if the allegations are true, they represent a "glaring refutation" of the party's image-cleaning strategy.

The report has also drawn widespread condemnation from across the French political spectrum. Green Party leader Marine Tondelier called for Bardella's resignation from all his positions, while left-wing leaders Raphaël Glucksmann and Jean-Luc Mélenchon sharply denounced the alleged remarks. This crisis emerges at a critical juncture for Le Pen, who recently received legal clearance to run for president after a court reduced a ban related to a corruption case. A recent poll predicts her victory in the upcoming elections, with 36% support in the first round and a decisive win in the runoff against any potential opponent.