Jordan Bardella denies 2013 antisemitic messages verified by Meta as RN launches counter-budget
Jordan Bardella continues to reject private 2013 antisemitic messages authenticated by Meta, as Marine Le Pen and the National Rally present a counter-budget ahead of the presidential election.
Investigative revelations and forensic verification
An investigation by French online media outlet Mediapart disclosed private digital messages dating back to 2013 attributed to National Rally (RN) president Jordan Bardella. The published communications contained direct, uninhibited antisemitic remarks written over a decade ago. Following the initial publication, Bardella immediately rejected the accusations and called the material a forgery. The National Rally closed ranks around its leader, attempting to present a united front as the allegations circulated throughout French political circles.
Three days after the original investigation was published, Mediapart released screenshots of the private conversations authenticated by Meta. The investigative news website also had the platform's extracted digital data officially verified by a certified judicial bailiff. Despite the publication of Meta-authenticated records and confirmation from the bailiff, Bardella maintained his absolute denial and continued to insist that the documented messages were fabricated.
- Private messages containing antisemitic comments are allegedly written.
- Mediapart reports private conversations attributed to Jordan Bardella, who calls them a fake.
- Mediapart publishes screenshots authenticated by Meta and verified by a bailiff.
- Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen present the party counter-budget to regain initiative.
Crisis for the party detox strategy
The revelations directly challenged fifteen years of political rebranding known as "dédiabolisation", a long-running campaign by the National Rally to distance itself from the antisemitic history of its predecessor, the National Front. As part of this detoxifying strategy, party leadership had repeatedly asserted that the organisation had broken from past extremism and positioned itself as a self-described protective shield for French Jews. The leak of Bardella's alleged 2013 writings plunged the far-right party into an internal crisis over its ideological credibility.
International publications noted the sudden pressure placed on the party's carefully managed reputation. German newspaper Die Zeit described the disruption across the organisation.
It is as if all the layers of varnish applied over the years suddenly shattered.
Swiss newspaper Le Temps reported that Bardella continued to deny what is widely treated as established evidence, persisting in a strategy of complete rejection. The affair challenged the stability of the leadership tandem between party president Bardella and parliamentary leader Marine Le Pen, as well as the future direction of their joint presidential campaign.
Political tension ahead of the presidential election
The crisis unfolded roughly six to seven months before the first round of the French presidential election. Over the course of a single week, the political atmosphere in France hardened under pressure from the political extremes, with both the National Rally and La France Insoumise (LFI) confronting sharp internal contradictions while dictating the national agenda. Marine Le Pen remains the RN candidate for the Elysee, leading in presidential voting intention polls despite her prior criminal conviction in court.
One week after the initial Mediapart accusations, the RN leadership sought to regain control of the political agenda. On Tuesday, 6 October 2026, Bardella and Le Pen scheduled a joint public appearance alongside senior party official Jean-Philippe Tanguy to present the RN's alternative national budget plan. Through the counter-budget launch, Le Pen aims to close the controversy, project executive readiness, and shift public focus back to economic policy ahead of the election.
