Steve Bannon denied that his gesture was a Nazi salute and described it as a ‘wave’.
Published On 21 Feb 2025
France’s far-right leader Jordan Bardella has said he cancelled a planned speech at a right-wing meeting in Washington after a “gesture alluding to Nazi ideology” by a speaker, an apparent reference to the conservative firebrand Steve Bannon.
The president of the National Rally (RN) party said he was not present when Bannon – one of the masterminds behind US President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign – made an apparent fascist-style gesture on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
“Yesterday, while I was not present in the room, one of the speakers out of provocation allowed himself a gesture alluding to Nazi ideology. I therefore took the immediate decision to cancel my speech that had been scheduled this afternoon,” Bardella said in a statement on Friday.
As his CPAC speech drew to a close, Bannon briefly held out a stiff arm as he suggested Trump could pursue a constitutionally prohibited third term, calling on the audience to “fight, fight, fight”.
Bannon on Friday denied that he had made a fascist salute and told a French journalist that it was a “wave to the crowd”.
Speaking to a journalist from Le Point, Bannon said Bardella was a “wimp” if he cancelled his appearance over the gesture.
“If he’s that worried about it … then he is unworthy and will never lead France,” Bannon said.
Bannon’s gesture resembled one by tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk last month that was widely compared to a Nazi salute.
The former Trump strategist and right-wing media executive