National Rally leader Jordan Bardella has been accused of deleting data from a former Facebook account after allegations resurfaced regarding anti-Semitic remarks he allegedly made as a teenager. The claims emerged in Le Canard enchaîné, a satirical weekly, which Bardella denies.
These allegations put further pressure on Bardella, who is seen as a key figure in Marine Le Pen’s far-right party. He faces scrutiny following accusations that he made anti-Semitic comments in 2013. Mediapart, the outlet that first reported on the issue, noted similarities between messages from Bardella’s personal Facebook and those from the official account of the National Rally leader.
The accusations complicate Bardella’s defence, especially after he claimed he had “no Facebook account” and hadn’t used the platform “for a very long time.”
Le Canard enchaîné reported it had obtained extracts of private conversations suggesting that Bardella deleted all data from a former account between 28 September and 2 October, shortly after Mediapart’s initial report.
Bardella’s team rejected the allegations, stating he “never logged into any Facebook account nor deleted any messages” and indicated they would file a defamation complaint soon. Mediapart had previously released comments allegedly made by Bardella, including inflammatory sentiments about Jewish people.
In response, Bardella has taken an aggressive stance, accusing his political opponents of waging a “total war” to undermine the National Rally as it prepares for a bid for the presidency and vowing to sue Mediapart for what he termed falsehoods. Le Pen has publicly supported Bardella, expressing her “complete confidence” in him as a potential prime minister should she win the upcoming presidential election.
