LFI Excludes Candidate Yves Bouteiller for Antisemitic Social Media Posts Ahead of 2026 Municipal Elections

La France Insoumise (LFI) has excluded Yves Bouteiller, the party’s head candidate for the 2026 municipal elections in Romilly-sur-Seine, due to antisemitic posts found on his social media accounts. The LFI electoral committee learned of these controversial posts last Friday and promptly withdrew his candidacy. Following this, the party’s committee responsible for enforcing core values decided to expel Bouteiller from LFI entirely, citing violations of the party’s charter which requires all candidates to reject antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.

Bouteiller, who has a significant presence on Facebook, stated he was unaware of the accusations and claimed he had not been informed regarding the controversial content. His posts included derogatory remarks targeting a Jewish socialist politician, referring to them as a “sioniste salopard,” and alleging that the Crif, France’s Jewish representative council, exerts control over the country. These statements were made in the context of the Gaza conflict, exacerbating sensitivity around the remarks.

This development follows previous controversies involving LFI, including accusations over campaign imagery likened to Nazi-era antisemitic propaganda. By taking quick action to remove Bouteiller, LFI underlined its commitment to oppose hate speech and discrimination within its ranks.