Still the Same Far-right? Le Pen's National Rally Denies Fresh Antisemitism Claims • FRANCE 24

Sep 30, 2026 | Minor bump on the French far-right’s road to power—or a car crash that wipes out years of rebranding? Bombshell allegations of past antisemitic tropes by the man Marine Le Pen has touted as her future prime minister could test her years-long effort to convince French voters that the National Rally is a party of government, rather than the fringe far-right National Front of old.

We’ll examine the evidence and hear the denial from 31-year-old Jordan Bardella. We’ll also chart his rise: groomed as an eventual stand-in for the presidential frontrunner after an appeals court allowed Le Pen to run despite her corruption conviction. And we’ll ask how the accusations land for a party that, since the October 7 attacks against Israel, has sought to portray itself as a rampart defending France’s Jewish community against antisemitism.

Le Pen’s gut reaction was to blast the report by investigative news site Mediapart as a plot, a conspiracy. We happen to live in an age when conspiracy theories flow freely—including, of course, the conspiracy theory that Jews secretly run the world. So, in the end, what could these allegations mean for Marine Le Pen’s prospects in 2027?

Poll Puts France's Le Pen In Lead as Presidential Campaign Kicks Off • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 14, 2026 | France's far-right veteran candidate Marine Le Pen looks set to lead in the first round of elections next year, as the country's increasingly disillusioned voters seek real change, a poll of more than 13,000 voters has suggested.

‘Politicians Have Always Been Schemers’: Upheld Conviction Fails to Dent Le Pen’s Popularity

THE GUARDIAN: Presidential bid by leader of far-right National Rally has no shortage of supporters in scenic Montargis

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Marine Le Pen in Paris on Wednesday when she announced her latest presidential campaign. Photograph: Jeanne Accorsini/Sipa/Shutterstock
In the small French town of Montargis, Jean-Antoine, a retired decorator, was pleased Marine Le Pen had again shaken up French politics by launching a bid for the presidency, despite her legal woes.

“Even the judges said she didn’t personally profit from the money, it was for her party,” he said of Le Pen’s newly upheld conviction for embezzlement. “All politicians in France have always been schemers, it’s just a fact of life.”

Jean-Antoine, 76, who once painted luxury fashion stores, felt voters for the figurehead of France’s far-right, anti-immigration party National Rally (RN) wouldn’t care about this week’s appeal court decision over Le Pen’s misuse of European parliament funds.

Jean-Antoine’s late father fled to France from Spain during its civil war in the 1930s and became part of the French resistance standing up to occupation by Hitler’s Germany. “But now immigration has to stop,” he said.

Le Pen’s conviction last year had meant she was barred from running for office until the 2030s, but that restriction was shortened by appeal judges this week. This allowed her to declare a phoenix-like return to the presidential race, which will be voted on next year. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Montargis | Saturday, July 11, 2026

Procès en appel du RN : Marine Le Pen condamnée à trois ans de prison, dont un an sous bracelet électronique

Cette image provient du Figaro. | Marine Le Pen arrive au procès en appel du RN le 7 juillet 2026. Sarah Meyssonnier / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Marine Le Pen a été reconnue coupable ce mardi en appel. Sa peine lui permet a priori de se porter candidate à la présidentielle de 2027. EN DIRECT » | Par Aldric Meeschaert et Anais Chaline | mardi 7 juillet 2026

LESEN SIE AUCH:

Urteil gegen Marine Le Pen: Französische Rechtspopulistin darf an Präsidentschaftswahl teilnehmen – aber nur mit Fußfessel: Urteil im Berufungsverfahren von Marine Le Pen: Die französische Rechtspopulistin darf 15 Monate lang kein öffentliches Amt innehaben. Für die Präsidentschaft könnte sie dennoch kandidieren. »

France's Economic Crisis Boosts Marine Le Pen's Nationalist Right Political Agenda

Sep 8, 2025 | “She’s showing that the country is paralysed without her. She’s showing that traditional parties have failed.”

France’s economic crisis is “really helpful” to Marine Le Pen’s political agenda, says former economic adviser Shahin Vallee.

Paris Prosecutor Seeks Jail and Public Office Ban for Marine Le Pen

THE GUARDIAN: Request in embezzlement trial threatens to undermine National Rally’s efforts to polish image before 2027 polls

A screenshot taken from today’s article in the Guardian. | Marine Le Pen arrives for the trial over the suspected embezzlement of EU funds. Photograph: Aurélien Morissard/AP
A Paris prosecutor has requested a five-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office for the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, at a trial in which she and 24 others are accused of embezzling EU funds.

The trial, which comes almost a decade after initial investigations started, threatens to undermine her National Rally (RN) party’s efforts to polish its image before the 2027 presidential election, which many believe she could win. » | Angelique Chrisafis and agencies | Thursday, November 14, 2024

The Far Right Is Close to Power in France. Will the Rest of Europe Follow?

A screenshot taken from theis article. | GETTY IMAGES
BBC: How likely is France to wake up on Monday morning to a new far-right dawn?

That was the garishly painted, hotly debated scenario in media headlines, the EU in Brussels and seats of government across Europe following the first round of France’s parliamentary vote last week.

But despite the spectacular showing by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, the short answer is: an RN majority is possible. Not probable.

French centrist and leftist parties have strategically withdrawn candidates to bolster each other’s contenders ahead of Sunday’s decisive second round.

But the impact of this election will be seismic, whether or not the RN wins an outright majority - or whether Jordan Bardella, its social media-savvy young president, becomes France’s new prime minister.

Polls predict RN is all but guaranteed to win more seats than any other political grouping.>br />
That means a decades-old taboo will have been shattered in France, a core EU nation. » | Katya Adler, Europe editor | Sunday, July 7, 2024

Frankreich-Wahl: So geht es weiter | Mittagsmagazin

Jul 1, 2024 | Das Ergebnis der Hochrechnungen zur Frankreich-Wahl hat bei vielen für einen Schock gesorgt. Mehr als ein Drittel der Stimmen konnten die Rechtspopulisten um Marine Le Pen in der ersten Runde auf sich vereinen. Die Rechnung von Präsident Macron scheint bisher nicht aufgegangen. Endgültige Ergebnisse aber gibt es erst nach der zweiten Runde. Über den Kater am Tag danach - und die Hoffnung vor Runde zwei berichtet ZDF-Reporterin Anna Feist.

France Votes as the Far-right Seeks Power | REUTERS

Jul 7, 2024 | Polls open in France's run-off election, with the far-right forecast to win the most votes but fall short of a parliamentary majority.

'I Am the Anti-Merkel': Marine Le Pen on Brexit, EU, Putin and Nato - BBC Newsnight

Mar 29, 2017 | France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen speaks to Emily Maitlis just weeks ahead of the French presidential elections.

France and the Far Right

Jul 4, 2024 | After the first round of voting in the parliamentary poll, the clear winner with 33% of the votes was Marine Le Pen’s far right RN Party. They are the successor to the Front Nationale created by Jean Marie Le Pen, Marine’s Dad who famously declared that the holocaust was a 'detail' of history.

The RN were hoping to install their candidate Jordan Bardella as prime Minister, but ahead of the second round of voting more than 200 opposition candidates have quit allowing for an anti RN coalition.

Will that be enough to keep them out of office…and how did it even get this far?

Adrian Goldberg hears from Assa Samake Roman, a French journalist based in Edinburgh, and Olly Haynes, a freelance specialising in France.

'You're Kidding Me, Right?': Amanpour Challenges Le Pen on 'Far-right'

Jul 5, 2024 | CNN's Christiane Amanpour asks Marine Le Pen, from France's National Rally party, about the rise of the far-right in Europe and beyond.

France’s Far Right Celebrates Lead after First Round of Parliamentary Elections | BBC News

Jul 1, 2024 | France’s far right is in pole position after the first round of parliamentary elections that confirmed their dominance in French politics.

Supporters of Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally (RN) cheered as she said the president’s “Macronist bloc has been all but wiped out”. RN won 33.1% of the vote, with a left-wing alliance behind on 28%, and the Macron camp behind on 20.76%.

This marks the first time the far right has won the first round of a French parliamentary election. “I aim to be prime minister for all the French people, if the French give us their votes,” said 28-year-old RN party leader Jordan Bardella.

French Elections Results: Could Le Pen's National Rally Win an Absolute Majority?

Jul 1, 2024 | The first round of France's legislative elections resulted in an emphatic victory for Marine Le Pen's far right party National Rally, which has set its sights on an absolute majority. Bloomberg's Caroline Connan reports.

French Far Right Wins Big in First Round of Voting

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A surprise decision by President Emmanuel Macron to hold a snap election appears to have backfired badly, giving the National Rally a decisive victory.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, giving a speech Sunday evening in Hénin-Beaumont, France. | Francois Lo Presti/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The National Rally party on Sunday won a crushing victory in the first round of voting for the French National Assembly, bringing its long-taboo brand of nationalist and anti-immigrant politics to the threshold of power for the first time.

Official results published by the Interior Ministry showed that the party and its allies won about 33 percent of the vote, far ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and its allies, which took about 20 percent to end in third place.

A coalition of left-wing parties, called the New Popular Front, won about 28 percent of the vote. Ranging from the moderate socialists to the far-left France Unbowed, the coalition was boosted by strong support among young people. » | Roger Cohen, Reporting from Paris | Sunday, June 30, 2024

Le Pen Set to Humiliate Macron in French Elections

Jun 30, 2024 | Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and its allies could win control of the French parliament in a humiliation for President Macron, final polls indicate before the first round of voting on Sunday. This would open the way for her protégé, Jordan Bardella, 28, to become the country’s youngest prime minister after the run-off next Sunday, ushering in a period of so-called cohabitation that would curb Macron’s powers during the final three years of his presidency.

Polls Predict ‘Extremely Bad Result’ for Macron’s Centrist Party as National Rally ‘Widens Lead’

Jun 30, 2024 | “The National Rally has actually widened its lead over Macron’s party and its allies since the European elections.”

President Macron’s centrist political coalition is currently polling in third place, behind an alliance of leftist parties in second place and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in first place, says The Times reporter David Chazan.

Will Macron’s Snap Election Gamble Backfire? | DW News

June 28, 2024 | France goes to the polls on Sunday in snap parliamentary elections. President Emmanuel Macron called the vote in response to his party's dismal showing in the European elections earlier this month. It's a gamble for Macron. He hopes to see off right-wing opponents - but may end up losing power. We spoke to DW’s correspondent Sonia Phalnikar in Paris about what's at stake for France.

Le Pen Claims Far Right Will Win Majority and Take Over Some Military Decisions

THE GUARDIAN: National Rally leader says Macron ‘won’t have choice’ but to appoint her protege as PM and he would make decisions on Ukraine support

Marine Le Pen has said she expects her far-right National Rally (RN) party to win an absolute majority in France’s general election, form a government and take over at least some defence and armed forces decision-making – including on Ukraine.

France’s constitution states that the president is head of the armed forces and chairs France’s national defence committees, but also that the prime minister is “responsible for national defence”, leaving the precise role of the premier open to interpretation. » | Jon Henley in Paris | Thursday, June 27, 2024

Liz Webster: Brexit Is So Bad Even Le Pen Daren’t Mention It

Jun 11, 2024 | We have Starmer ignoring Brexit and many of us hoping he will DEAL with it once in power.

France has Marine Le Pen now ignoring Frexit, hoping to win power no doubt to rip France out of the EU. Macron has rolled the dice and within the next month, things could look very much more consolidated or unstable.