La France insoumise has excluded Yves Bouteiller, its lead candidate for the 2026 municipal elections in Romilly-sur-Seine, in the Aube department, due to social media posts deemed antisemitic. The party withdrew his endorsement on Friday and announced his expulsion on Saturday. Bouteiller claims he has received no explanation from the party.
La France insoumise (LFI) has taken decisive action against one of its local candidates. On Saturday, January 10, 2026, the party announced the exclusion of Yves Bouteiller, who had been designated as the lead candidate for the municipal elections in Romilly-sur-Seine, a town of 15,000 residents in the Aube department, the second-largest city there.
Informed the previous day of social media posts with antisemitic content, LFI's electoral committee immediately revoked Bouteiller's endorsement. At the same time, the party's principles compliance committee approved his expulsion. This decision stems from a breach of the engagement charter signed by candidates, which prohibits any racist, antisemitic, or discriminatory statements or actions.
Bouteiller, highly active on Facebook, frequently shares content related to the Gaza conflict. Among the offending posts, he called socialist deputy Jérôme Guedj, who is Jewish, a "salopard sioniste." He also claimed that the Crif "directs France" and that "Zionist genocidaires have learned much from the Third Reich" in reference to the detention conditions of Palestinian civilians in Israeli prisons.
In March, amid criticism of LFI for a poster evoking 1930s antisemitic imagery, Bouteiller shared a post by Jean-Luc Mélenchon on Gaza, adding: "While the media talk about a fascist racist's poster, the Jews continue the carnage with the support of the Macron-Le Pen supporters."
Reached by Agence France-Presse on Saturday morning, Bouteiller said he had "for now had no communication from anyone" within LFI and was unaware of the specifics. He is awaiting explanations from the party before further comment. Bouteiller's endorsement was no longer listed on LFI's website by Saturday morning.
