With seven months to go before France's presidential elections, Bardella condemned what he described as "the beginnings of a total war" intended to destabilise the RN. The 31-year-old, who would likely become prime minister should Marine Le Pen win the presidency, said the allegations were an attempt to destroy his political career.
Mediapart released what it said was the result of "several months" of investigation into "dozens of written conversations" Bardella allegedly had in 2013. The site said it had "independently authenticated" the conversations, which it claimed came from "a bigger documentary base corroborated by witness statements", but did not produce screenshots of any of the alleged remarks.
Among the statements Mediapart alleges Bardella made when he was 17 or 18 are antisemitic tropes. Bardella told CNews television on Monday night: "Everything is going to be done to destabilise the campaign. Either Mediapart is running this operation itself, or it is being manipulated by interested parties." He said he had instructed his lawyer to sue for libel.
Le Pen expressed total confidence in Bardella, saying the alleged remarks "seem so weird that they can only be a forgery – one of those dirty tricks for which Mediapart appears to hold the secret".