The far-right French leader Jordan Bardella spoke to applause at an Israeli government conference, in a landmark moment for the head of a party that was led for years by an antisemite.
In the speech, Bardella condemned antisemitism and anti-Zionism. He also emphasized the key messages of his party, National Rally: combating Islamism and restricting immigration to France.
The presence of Bardella, along with other far-right European politicians, has brought controversy to the event, an international conference on fighting antisemitism hosted by the Diaspora Ministry. Jewish leaders across Europe have long opposed the far right; prominent American and European leaders pulled out of the conference in protest.
That controversy did not appear to mar Bardella’s speech at the event, which was received with applause. Speaking in French with English translation, Bardella condemned antisemitism and anti-Zionism, and mentioned visits in recent days to the sites of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacres, as well as to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial and museum. He cited “a time of relentless war in the face of barbarism, which is also our fight.”
“We should suffer no ambiguity to fight against antisemitism,” he said at the beginning of his speech. “In the face of the disturbing resurgence of anti-Jewish hatred throughout Europe and the world, and in the face of terrorism that intends to destroy our lives and our values, we French believe more than ever in the imperative need for our nations to unite their voices and join forces in this fight.”
He blamed immigration and Islamism — along with the political left — for the rise in antisemitism in Europe.
“In the schools of the French republic, in some areas, the teaching of the Holocaust has become literally impossible, such is the extent to which the immigration policy pursued over the last 30 years has upset the great balances of our nation,” he said. “Since Oct. 7 in particular, in France and in Europe, we have been witnessing the deadly honeymoon between Islamism and the extreme left. One provides the fanatics, the other institutionalizes evil, provides the excuse of victimization and the appearance of a good conscience.”
He added at the end of his speech, “We need to be clear-headed enough to confront the Islamist threat. It is both your enemy as well as our most existential threat.”
He did not mention antisemitism on the far-right, for which his party had long provided a home. National Rally was formerly the National Front, founded and led for much of its history by Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was convicted of Holocaust denial. Le Pen’s daughter, Marine Le Pen, has sought to distance the party from that antisemitic legacy, changing its name and expelling her father. She pivoted from demonizing Jews to fighting against radical Islam and immigration.
Some French Jews support National Rally, which has seen increasing success in recent years. But the country’s leading Jewish organizations remain wary of it.
And some warm feelings may remain toward Jean-Marie Le Pen. When he died in January, Bardella eulogized him in a social media post, writing that “he always served France, defended its identity and its sovereignty.” Le Pen’s grandaughter Marion Marechal, who has more enthusiastically embraced his legacy, was also invited to the conference.
Israel’s Diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, has defended the conference agenda even as it has come under widespread criticism. On Thursday, speaking from the stage, he issued an apology — to the European politicians.
“First and foremost, I want to thank our friends and allies, especially our friends of the European Parliament, who have chosen to come to Israel during wartime,” Chikli said, according to the Times of Israel. “I apologize for the lies spread against you by those who slander the State of Israel worldwide.
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