00:00French media outlet Mediapart has published new material in the case of the anti-Semitic messages attributed to Jordan Bardella.
00:08The allegations against Bardella come just seven months ahead of France's presidential elections,
00:13where voters will choose a replacement for outgoing term-limited President Emmanuel Macron,
00:18with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen leading opinion polls.
00:2231-year-old Jordan Bardella has strongly denied writing the messages
00:26and on Thursday said he would file a lawsuit against Mediapart for defamation,
00:30as well as, quote, forgery and use of forgeries.
00:34Mediapart in response published screenshots of the conversations involving the anti-Semitic messages
00:39Bardella is said to have sent to other Facebook users.
00:42He added that personal details shared in the conversations,
00:46including reference to his Italian-born mother,
00:48an interview he gave to the Le Parisien outlet in 2013,
00:52and failing the entrance exam to the prestigious Sciences Po University,
00:55were all key factors in authenticating his identity.
00:59The far-right national rally leader,
01:01who'll likely become prime minister if Le Pen wins the presidential race,
01:05said the evidence is merely engineered and manipulated screenshots.
01:10Marine Le Pen voiced her total confidence in Bardella,
01:13who has helped the national rally make inroads with younger voters
01:16and denounced what she called a total war against their party.
