Médiapart Says It Authenticated Antisemitic Messages Attributed to Jordan Bardella

Overview

• Médiapart published an investigation earlier this week and on Thursday said it used Meta/Facebook records and a court-appointed bailiff to authenticate Messenger exchanges from about 2013 that it attributes to Jordan Bardella.
• Bardella and the Rassemblement National have strongly denied authorship, announced or filed defamation complaints, and Bardella said he may also pursue charges for falsification.
• Political reactions have split, with senior RN figures calling the publication an interference in the campaign while opponents and some commentators condemned the attributed remarks and others, including Édouard Philippe, have refused to comment without seeing proof.
• Médiapart’s reporters say they will show supporting evidence while protecting sources, and the outlet’s long record of high-impact investigations and previous defamation suits frames both the weight of the claim and the likelihood of protracted legal battles.
• If the authentication holds up, the revelations could alter voter perceptions of the RN and trigger a drawn-out courtroom fight that keeps the issue central to the 2027 campaign; if the evidence is successfully contested, the episode may reinforce claims of politically motivated attacks.