Asked this Tuesday about the links of the National Rally with in particular Axel Loustau, a former militant of the GUD, the boss of the party, Jordan Bardella believes that these ultra-right movements are “enemies of [sa] political family.
“Those who have a radical nostalgia, a radical ideology, have no place in the RN”, defends Jordan Bardella, president of the RN, invited Tuesday, May 23 on franceinfo. He was questioned about the party’s relations with Axel Loustau, a former GUD activist (Groupe Union Défense, a far-right student organization known for its violence) and Frédéric Chatillon, another close friend of the RN.
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The first took part in a neo-Nazi demonstration in Paris on May 6. The second was not present at the protest, but said he supported it and wanted to go next year. Both are close to Marine Le Pen and have long-standing ties with the RN.
“There are no political relations with Frédéric Chatillon and Axel Loustau”
Jordan Bardella, President of the National Rallyat franceinfo
Jordan Bardella assures that he “there has been no business relationship with Axel Loustau’s leaflet printing company since 2017”, in reference to the communication agency e-Politic, service provider of the RN, including during the presidential campaign in 2022. Both are shareholders. “The last time Axel Loustau had a contract with the RN was in 2017″replies Jordan Bardella before adding that “Frédéric Chatillon does not have a contract with the RN, he is a minority shareholder in one of the service providers of the RN”.
The current president of the RN claims to have taken “the decision to re-internalize a certain number of missions which were entrusted to e-Politic” and specifies that “it’s in progress”. Eager to distance himself, he recalls waiting “RN service providers that they do what they are paid for. If they [participent à des rassemblements néo-nazis] there is no connection with the RN”, he assures. For her part, Marine Le Pen had also distanced herself from Axel Loustau in an interview with the newspaper Le Monde on May 10.
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More broadly, Jordan Bardella says he is for “the dissolution of all ultra-right and ultra-left groups”. According to him, “these ultra-right movements have been built for 20 years against the FN and against the RN”. He goes even further and affirms that “this radical movement challenges the functioning of democracy, the Republic, and even the legitimacy of Marine Le Pen and the RN. They are therefore enemies of our political family”he concludes.