Journalists leave the launch party for Jordan Bardella's book, after the RN refused access to Médiapart

The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m., Wednesday November 4, in a reception room in western Paris. While dozens of guests arrived at the evening organized by the publishing house Fayard on the occasion of the presentation of Jordan Bardella's third book, Govern, three journalists were refused access to the Wagram Pavilion, noted a journalist from France Télévisions on site. One of them, who works for Mediapart, had a personal ticket, AFP said. The second journalist belongs to the Politis editorial team and the third is an independent journalist.

“It’s a private evening, they were informed that they were not accredited,” explained Victor Chabert, director of the RN press service to AFP. The agency points out, however, that many other media outlets had obtained accreditation. “By excluding or violating journalists, the extreme right reveals its true face,” reacted the president of Mediapart, Carine Fouteau, denouncing “forcefully” the “new obstruction” made to her journalist, which she described as “censorship”.

In response, almost all of the registered journalists left the premises, with the notable exception of the media from the Bolloré group, also the parent company of Fayard, according to the press agency.

This episode takes place in a climate of great tension between the far-right party and Médiapart, since the disclosure at the end of September of anti-Semitic youth writings attributed to Jordan Bardella. The president of the National Rally denies these accusations and filed a complaint for defamation. The investigation site had already been heckled by activists and unceremoniously evacuated by the security service twice during the RN congress and Marine Le Pen's first campaign meeting at the end of October in Orléans.

The president of the RN expected at the entrance by activists against anti-Semitism

On the sidelines of the same evening, around fifteen activists from the collective against anti-Semitism “We will live” gathered in front of the Wagram Pavilion. With placards and megaphones in hand, they chanted, among other things, “No anti-Semites in the Republic” and “Bardella, your anti-Semitism cannot be erased”.

A protest to which the president of the RN reacted on

“You use the same paralyzing ray as the far left to disqualify activists who fight against anti-Semitism,” responded the association on this same social network, drawing a parallel with France Insoumise. “Our only camp is that of the Republic which is the best shield against anti-Semitism and you are not part of it,” continued “We will live”, in response to Jordan Bardella.