US EditionFrench hard-left firebrand defends Epstein jibe
- On Thursday, Jean‑Luc Mélenchon invoked Jeffrey Epstein at a Lyon gathering and denied accusations of antisemitism, calling his comments ‘ironic’ on Sunday.
- Those remarks echo a long‑standing trope: La France Insoumise has faced criticism for not condemning the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attacks and concerns about anti‑Semitic rhetoric within the party.
- At a rally Mélenchon told a laughing audience `I wanted to say 'Epstein', sorry, it sounds more Russian, 'Epsteen'` and also mispronounced centre‑left MEP Raphaël Glucksmann's name in Perpignan, southern town.
- Widespread reactions followed, with Glucksmann replying `OK Jean‑Marie Le Pen` and Beaune warning that `Jean‑Luc Mélenchon is having a new 'Durafour moment'` and provoking anti‑Semitism.
- With local elections looming, Jean‑Luc Mélenchon, 74, three‑time presidential candidate, faces wider political risks while the episode recalls Jean‑Marie Le Pen's 1988 punning attack, adding historical resonance.
25 Articles
25 Articles
New episode in the controversy around Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Already accused of anti-Semitism for having ironized on the pronunciation of the name Jeffrey Epstein, the leader of LFI has recidivated at the time... The article "He is better and better Merluche, he reminds me of Le Pen!": Alain Soral approves Mélenchon's comments concerning Glucksmann appeared first on Current Values.
In Lyon, last Thursday, laughter that disturbs... As the municipalities approach, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has very bad press. His left-wing allies take their distance from him or, at least, pretend well. The leader of LFI is in a runaway: he knows that if there are many candidates in the presidential election, the threshold to reach the second round will be lower. And, once faced with the National Rally, his plan might well be to "border" France by l…
French hard-left firebrand defends Epstein jibe
France’s hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon on Sunday defended himself against accusations of antisemitism, which were sparked by his mocking the pronunciation of the name “Epstein” during a rally. The latest row involving the founder of the France Unbowed (LFI) party came ahead of municipal elections next month and the 2027 presidential vote, as calls grow for left-wing politicians to break with the LFI leader. On Thursday, speaking at a ga…
The "unsuspected" leader has already been accused of anti-Semitism in recent days for having ironized the name Jeffrey Epstein, implying the existence of a plot to hide the Jewish origin of the American pedocriminal.
At a meeting in Perpignan, Jean-Luc Mélenchon went back to the polemic that followed his pronunciation of Jeffrey Epstein, declaring "to have it for hours".
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- 38% of the sources lean Left, 37% of the sources are Center
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