French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) President and MEP Jordan Bardella listens to speeches as part of the celebrations for International Women's Rights Day, during a plenary session of the European Parliament. AFP
Bardella, president of the RN, will deliver a speech at the event, a source close to him told AFP, confirming a report in Le Figaro.
Also attending will be Bardella’s fellow European Parliament MP Marion Maréchal, the niece of Marine Le Pen, who leads a separate far-right movement, she told AFP.
The RN has sought to reshape its image in recent years. The party was co-founded as the National Front by Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died earlier this year and was known for his antisemitic remarks. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, has distanced the movement from his legacy, renaming it the RN and positioning it as electable.
Marine Le Pen now leads the RN MPs in the French parliament and is eager to stand again in the 2027 presidential election.
Jean-Marie Le Pen declared in 1987 that the Nazi gas chambers used to exterminate Jews were “just a detail in the history of the second world war.”
In an invitation letter, the Israeli government said: “This major conference will bring together political leaders, international organizations, special envoys and prominent figures from around the world.”
The two MEPs will also be taken on “special visits” to Israel’s southern and northern borders “to better understand the geopolitical landscape,” according to the government.
This is the first time that figures from the French far right have been invited to such a conference.
In November 2023, President Emmanuel Macron attacked the RN, without naming it, accusing the movement of “claiming to support our compatriots of Jewish faith by confusing the rejection of Muslims with support for Jews.”
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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