Overview
- On March 2, Jean‑Luc Mélenchon posted on X that he was "désolé" for having "déformé par erreur" several names, including Raphaël Glucksmann’s, and said he would not repeat it.
- At a March 1 rally in Perpignan, he rejected accusations of antisemitism, argued that Jeffrey Epstein "had no religion," and said LFI fights both islamophobia and anti‑Jewish racism.
- He mispronounced Glucksmann’s name in Perpignan after joking days earlier in Lyon about saying "Epstine" for Jeffrey Epstein, prompting fresh condemnations.
- Raphaël Glucksmann labeled him "the Jean‑Marie Le Pen of our time," as Socialist leaders and Macronists echoed the criticism and the RN urged other parties to shun LFI.
- LFI’s troubles, including scrutiny tied to the Quentin Deranque investigation, heighten the risk to potential second‑round deals, with PS and Green leaders signaling case‑by‑case decisions.