Accusations of an apparent Nazi salute by American conservative firebrand and Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon at a Washington convention led a French far-right leader to withdraw from the event

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.

Former Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon was speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC.

CPAC event was held just outside of Washington, DC this past weekend. As we rise to confront Trump’s fascism, Truthout appeals for your support. Any contribution you can make is a tangible act of resistance.

Steve Bannon has been accused of making a Nazi salute at a conservative gathering where President Donald Trump is slated to speak this weekend, but says the gesture was merely “a wave.”

White nationalist Nick Fuentes characterized both Musk’s and Bannon’s gestures as a “Roman salute.” Nevertheless, he called it “sick” on his podcast Thursday, adding: "It's getting a little uncomfortable even for a guy like me!”

President Donald Trump's former White House chief strategist told the crowd to "fight, fight, fight" before raising his right arm.

“Scott Bessent today said Elon’s group in the first 30 days found $55 billion of waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Bannon, President Donald Trump’s chief White House strategist during the first several months of his first term. “$55 billion, that’s going to add up to six, seven, $800 billion. In one month, they’ve done that.”

Conservative strategist Steve Bannon has pleaded guilty to a fraud charge related to duping donors who gave money to a private effort to build a wall along the U.S. southern border

Elon Musk was previously criticized for a similar gesture at a speech last month celebrating Trump’s inauguration.

Bannon admitted to one count of scheming to defraud in the first degree stemming from the proposed construction of a private U.S.-Mexico border wall.