France’s far-right leader Jordan Bardella said Friday he had cancelled his speech at a right-wing meeting in Washington after a “gesture alluding to Nazi ideology” by conservative firebrand Steve Bannon.
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The president of France’s National Rally (RN) party, who is in the US capital, said he was not present when Bannon – one of the masterminds behind US President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign – made a gesture that has been described as a Nazi salute on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Bannon briefly held out a stiff arm at the conference as he called on the audience to “fight, fight, fight”.
“I had been invited … to make a speech on the links between the United States and France, as well as the recent electoral dynamic of patriot parties in Europe,” Bardella said in a statement.
“Yesterday, while I was not present in the room, one of the speakers out of provocation allowed himself a gesture alluding to Nazi ideology. I therefore took the immediate decision to cancel my speech that had been scheduled this afternoon,” he said.
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An adviser to Bardella confirmed to Agence France-Presse that he was speaking about Bannon.
