French politician ends collaboration with staffer over extreme-right posts

The announcement was made on her X account (former Twitter) this Tuesday, February 24th. In a statement, Lisette Pollet, RN deputy of the 2nd district of Drôme, indicates ending her collaboration with her assistant. Already last weekend, Vincent Claudin had made headlines by calling to join the rally organized in Lyon in tribute to Quentin Deranque, an extreme-right nationalist activist who died following a brawl.

If his past membership in a radical ultra-right group was already pointed out, this time it is about comments he allegedly made on his X account leading the deputy to make this decision. In an article published this Wednesday, February 25, the newspaper *Médiapart* revealed posts by this “Quentin’s friend” published between December 2021 and February 2026 on anonymous accounts, reportedly belonging to Vincent Claudin.

Among the published messages, one can read: “Men could launch lightning with their eyes before mating with monkey races to create today’s humanity. Eugenics will allow to regain these powers” or “A girl (probably drunk) once told me I looked like Hitler with my beret (I also had a trench coat and a mustache). I thanked her.”

“I was taken aback”

Contacted by Le Dauphiné Libéré, Lisette Pollet received a bad surprise after a “tweet storm on X”. “I was taken aback at first last Friday after *Médiapart’s* call. I searched for my collaborator who eventually admitted being part of this Lyon Populaire group (ultra-right group) before being fired. And to specify that the collaborator claimed that there was ‘nothing to blame him for in terms of action or other’.”*

However, for the deputy who has “always established a climate of trust with my collaborators,” the news is shocking this Wednesday. “I always ask if they have social networks.” To which Vincent Claudin reportedly replied, “that’s not my thing.” Discovering the messages published on the social network, Lisette Pollet had no choice but to part ways with her collaborator. “The bond of trust is broken, I will always condemn these tweets which are disgusting and stain my values.” And she adds: “By explaining the reasons to him, he admitted to me that he had lied to me and said he was sorry. He did not think that these messages, which he attributes to his youth, would resurface one day.” She will not excuse these “remarks that fall under the law.”*

“Messages whose content contradicts the values, principles, and code of conduct that I defend,” Lisette Pollet summed up in her statement. “The statements made in these tweets engage only their author and cannot in any way be associated with me.” And she strongly condemns “these positions.”*

* Updated at 4:13 p.m. with the response from deputy Lisette Pollet.