Far-right Jordan Bardella’s book publisher sues, alleging ad campaign was censored

PARIS — The publisher of a forthcoming memoir by far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said on Friday that it is taking an advertiser to court for refusing to run promos for the book in train stations, which are some of the country’s best real estate for commercial outreach.

Bardella, 29, and his Fayard publishing house have claimed since last month that Mediatransports, a branch of the French Publicis advertising giant, which has exclusive control over ad space in French train stations, pulled out of a planned ad campaign for his new book for political reasons.

Bardella is one of France’s most notorious far-right figures, while Fayard is owned by conservative media mogul Vincent Bolloré, who has been dubbed the “French Rupert Murdoch.”

Fayard announced it would take legal action on Friday, less than 24 hours before the book goes on sale. In its statement, the publisher claimed that the cover of Bardella’s book “does not contain any political statements,” and that the Mediatransports decision “constitutes a serious infringement of freedom of expression.”

Publicis and French rail network SNCF did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.

Mediatransports previously said the campaign would have violated its policy of political neutrality, AFP reported. The company added it had been unaware the campaign was for Bardella’s book when the contract with Fayard was signed.

Mediatransports’ terms and conditions state that “any advertising message of a political, trade-union or religious nature, or whose text or illustration is contrary to public decency or prejudicial to public order, is prohibited.” In such cases, it reserves the right to refuse or abandon an ongoing ad campaign.

In 2020, Mediatransports refused to display ads from Greenpeace that accused political leaders of failing to act on climate change.

The dispute between the two sides has been brewing since last month, when French daily Libération first reported on the planned train-station ad campaign for the book. Shortly thereafter, left-wing union SUD-Rail asked SNCF to refrain from displaying the ads.

Bardella clapped back by claiming that the French rail network had folded to “far-left unions.”

He then published on X a list of books by political figures that had benefited from ad campaigns in French train stations. Those books, however, were written by politicians who were not, at the time of publication, elected officials or party leaders.