“Party of capitulation”, “little Kremlin telegraph operator”, “handbag fight”… Raphaël Glucksmann and Jordan Bardella engaged in a heated exchange of arms around Russia, Tuesday June 5, during the last debate television of the Europeans.
“You are for the European Union to finance Putin’s war machine to the tune of a billion euros per day”, launched the head of the PS/Place publique list to his rival from the National Rally, hostile to sanctions energy against Russia.
“I am not in favor of France becoming a co-belligerent […] War is serious!”, replied Jordan Bardella on France 2 and France inter, in reference to Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.
“Applauded” the annexation of Crimea
Raphaël Glucksmann then accused the RN of having “applauded” the annexation of Crimea by Russia and MEP Bardella of not having voted for a resolution condemning the Russian Wagner militia “which attacked our soldiers” in Africa. The president of the national gathering criticized him in return for “yelling on a subject which deserves a little more height than this space of handbag battle”.
“This is the fundamental divergence between the party of defeat and capitulation in the face of Vladimir Putin that you embody and the party of resistance that I embody,” insisted the left-wing candidate.
“Your group is corrupt and financed by Qatar”
“You are not resisting at all, your group is corrupt and financed by Qatar,” the RN candidate then told him in reference to an investigation targeting the former socialist vice-president of the European Parliament Eva Keili. “You have on your list the little Kremlin telegraph operator”, MEP Thierry Mariani, known for his pro-Kremlin positions, “you dare to talk to me about interference”, replied Raphaël Glucksmann.
Five days before the European elections, this was the last debate between the eight favorites in the ballot. The candidates debated at length migration policies within the European Union, with Jordan Bardella describing several other front-runners as “immigrationists” and in return being accused of “fascist” by the ecologist Marie Toussaint.