French far-right leader cancels speech, accusing Bannon of 'Nazi' gesture

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has canceled a scheduled speech in the United States after a gesture by former US President Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon sparked controversy. Many compared Bannon's gesture to a Nazi salute.

While speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington, D.C., on Thursday evening, Bannon shouted "fight, fight, fight" and raised his right hand in a special gesture.

Bardella, the leader of France's National Rally party, was scheduled to speak at the event on Friday. Still, he canceled his appearance over concerns it could "incite Nazi ideology," he said in a statement.

Bannon, however, denied the comparison and explained that it was just a "wave," which he had also previously used for Bardella's team.

"If he has rejected the speech because of what the mainstream media is saying, he has not listened. If that is true, then he is not fit to lead France. He is still a boy, not a man," he told French newspaper Le Point.

Romanian far-right leader Ghiorge Simeon, who was also present at the CPAC, also refused to accept Bannon's gesture as a Nazi salute. "Any historian knows that it is not a Nazi salute," he told the BBC.

Previously, a similar gesture by Steve Bannon at a Donald Trump event in January was compared to one by Elon Musk, although Musk has also denied the accusation of giving a Nazi salute.

Bardella, who is seen as a future French presidential candidate, was one of several international politicians to speak at CPAC.,

At CPAC, former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss called the British state a "failure", while Argentine President Javier Mielai presented Elon Musk with a shiny chainsaw, which he used on stage to symbolize government spending cuts.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to speak before Trump's speech on Saturday. In recent years, the CPAC has increasingly become a centerpiece of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement, and this time it has set the tone for his possible victory in the upcoming election.

Speaker after speaker praised White House policies after Trump's return. Bannon's speech received a standing ovation from the audience, though his gesture caused controversy.

"They can only win by retreating from us, but we will not retreat," Bannon said. "We will not surrender, we will not give up, we will keep fighting."

During his first term, Bannon was a close advisor to Trump and hosts the influential podcast War Room, which is popular among Trump supporters.

Bannon served four months in prison for defying a congressional subpoena investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and was released in October 2023. In addition, he was recently released from prison in another case, after being convicted of fraud in raising funds for the construction of a wall on the Mexican border.