The comments, which came ahead of municipal elections next month, sparked outrage from across the political spectrum.
French far-left political leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon sparked outrage after he mocked the pronunciation of the name “Epstein” during a rally on Thursday in Lyon ahead of municipal elections.
Speaking at the rally, Mélenchon invoked the name of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and said :”When it comes to the ‘Epshtine’ case – oh, I meant ‘Epsteen,’ sorry. That sounds more Russian, ‘Epsteen,’ right?” said Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise (LFI or France Unbowed). “So now you’ll say ‘Ensteen’ instead of Einstein, ‘Frankensteen’ instead of Frankenstein,” he told a laughing audience.
The comments, which came ahead of municipal elections next month, sparked outrage from across the political spectrum.
Mélenchon, whose party is frequently accused of being antisemitic and anti-Zionist, rejected accusations of antisemitism, calling his comments “ironic.”
On Friday, President Emmanuel Macron shared a video of a recent speech he made condemning the “antisemitic hydra” that he said had crept into “every crack” of French society. “This was 15 days ago,” he said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Melenchon’s remarks are “abject.’’ Equality Minister Aurore Bergé wrote on X that “antisemitism in France can be spelled out in three letters: L-F-I.”
The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National party, Jordan Bardella, denounced Thursday’s rally as a “brutal, chilling meeting with openly antisemitic overtones.”
Socialist Senator Laurence Rossignol condemned the comments as “the most terrifying antisemitism.” “How many decades has it been since a politician made a room laugh by rattling off Jewish names, emphasising their pronunciation, with a sneer of hatred?” Rossignol said.
The Socialist party is under pressure to avoid any party agreement with LFI for the elections.
Yonathan Arfi, president of Crif, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, wrote on X : “To see this pronunciation as manipulation is a conspiracy theory with real antisemitic overtones,” adding that French journalists have been using the American pronunciation of Epstein.