National Rally Leader Dismisses ‘Black Sheep’ in Far-Right, Amid Controversy and Criticism over Racist Comments

Marine Le-Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, has pledged to sanction members and candidates who make “inadmissible comments,” but has emphasized the importance of distinguishing them from those who have simply made “gross mistakes.” Several candidates from the French far right have been in the news for racist and xenophobic statements that led Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, to acknowledge that there may be “black sheep” in the party and he expelled some candidates and withdrew his candidacy for a second round election. Le Pen has alluded to Paule Veyre de Soras’ statement about Jews, Muslims, and Spaniards in the National Rally, where she said that she went to a Jewish ophthalmologist and a Muslim dentist. Le Pen acknowledged that Veyre de Soras’ approach was “clumsy” but objectively not proof of racism. She also blamed certain media outlets for bringing up compromising statements by some National Rally candidates. Bardella had previously admitted on Wednesday that there may be “black sheep” among the candidates for the National Group after a photograph of a candidate wearing a Luftwaffe cap surfaced on social media. He withdrew his candidacy for people he had no knowledge of while facing criticism over several controversies involving some of its candidates linked to xenophobic or racist attitudes within recent weeks.