Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s far-right National Rally, canceled a planned address at the right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington after Steve Bannon made what appeared to be a Nazi salute on stage.
Bannon, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former adviser, was quick to respond to Bardella’s cancellation over his gesture, calling him “a little boy, not a man,” and labeling him “unworthy of leading France.”
The French far-right leader was scheduled to speak on Friday’s program at the American right wing jamboree about relations between the United States and France, as well as the rise of “patriotic parties” in Europe.
“At this podium yesterday, while I was not present in the room, one of the speakers allowed himself, as a provocation, to make a gesture referring to Nazi ideology,” Bardella said in in a statement Friday.
“Therefore, I have taken the immediate decision to cancel my scheduled speaking engagement at the event this afternoon,” Bardella said.
Bardella was likely referring to Bannon’s speech, which ended with chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and in which he raised his right arm straight up in the air.
The gesture appeared to resemble the salute made infamous by Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Europe’s fascists in the early 20th century, but Bannon denied it was a “Nazi salute” and said he was waving to the crowd — just as he had done in previous speeches.
“If he cancelled [the speech] over what the mainstream media said about the speech, he didn’t listen to the speech. If that’s true, he’s unworthy to lead France. He’s a boy, not a man,” Bannon told the French newspaper Le Point.
“If he took what the mainstream media said … I did that exact same wave at Front National seven years ago when I gave a speech to them, okay?” Bannon said. “If he’s that worried about it, and wets himself like a little child, then he is unworthy, and will never lead France.”
Bannon is not the first Trump ally to make a similar “salute” gesture. Elon Musk did the same to the crowd at a celebration of Trump’s inauguration in January.
Musk also appeared on stage at CPAC on Thursday night, where he received a standing ovation — and was even presented with a chainsaw by Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
In addition to Bardella, several other European politicians appeared at the conference, including the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party, Mateusz Morawiecki, and the vice chair of the Patriots for Europe group, Kinga Gál.
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