“The Jews control the banks”: the statements of the popular right-wing leader

A new investigation published yesterday (Monday) on the French investigative site Mediapart is causing a political uproar in France, after revealing harsh anti-Semitic and conspiratorial statements attributed to the far-right leader Jordan Bardella. The 31-year-old Bardela heads the “National Union” party and is a close ally of Marine Le Pen. According to the investigation, the statements were written in private chats in the summer of 2013, when he was about 17 or 18 years old. This is a period of a year and a half after he joined as a young activist the party then called “The National Front”.

The investigation reveals harsh quotes from closed conversations attributed to the popular right-wing leader. “The Jew must rule other peoples, erase and steal from another people,” according to the investigation, one of the messages said. “A Zionist is necessarily a Jew.” Another message reads: “And this is what they want: a new world order controlled by Israel, with Jerusalem as the capital, of course.” The statement was also published according to which “all banks are controlled by the Jews”. Mediapart emphasized that they verified the statements, although they did not specify on which platform the messages were written.

The publication provoked strong reactions in the political and public system in France. Jonathan Arpi, president of the umbrella organization of the Jewish communities in France, told the news agency AFP Because he was amazed by the power of the statements. “You can’t claim on the one hand that you are fighting anti-Semitism, and at the same time continue to be a refuge for identitarians of all kinds, especially those who spread anti-Semitic rhetoric,” Arfi said, referring to racist fringe groups that work for “cultural and ethnic purity.” He added that things should not be solved just like that as a youth answer.

Aurore Breja, the French Minister for Combating Discrimination, clarified in the account of theX her because the things are extremely serious if they are verified. “The anti-Semitic and conspiratorial character reminds those who wish to forget it of the true nature of the extreme right,” Barja wrote.

On the other hand, Bardella and La Pen reject the claims and present them as a political attack. Bardella called the accusations “gross forgeries” and announced his intention to take legal action. In an interview with the network CNews He added that his lawyer had already filed a libel suit.

Le Pen backed up her ally and told reporters that she believed the things attributed to him were untrue. She accused the Mediapart website of “dirty exercises”.

The disclosure comes at a sensitive time for the party, as Bardella is considered a key figure in the “image cleaning” efforts led by La Pen. The attempt was aimed at turning the party into a legitimate force and distancing it from the legacy of Le Pen’s father, who was known for anti-Semitic statements. As part of these efforts, Bardela visited Israel last year.

The allegations surface as Le Pen’s position ahead of the 2027 presidential election is considered strong. A recently published poll shows that Le Pen leads in the first round with 35% to 36% of the votes, and in the second round she is expected to beat opponents from the left and the center. At the same time, Le Pen recorded an achievement in the Senate elections, in which the party obtained enough seats to form a faction for the first time in its history.