Lyon Prefecture Bans Rally Promoting ‘Remigration’
The Rhône prefecture banned an identitarian gathering in Lyon supporting "remigration" policies, citing public order concerns and allegations of racial discrimination.
According to Valeurs Actuelles, the demonstration was set for 6 p.m. at Place Saint-Jean and intended to support the “Save Europe Act,” a European initiative backed by several sovereigntist and identitarian movements and parties across the continent.
In its official order, the prefecture justified the prohibition based on the nature of the organizers’ claims and the potential risk of public disturbances. The static gathering was to feature the deployment of a 20-meter banner promoting “remigration.”
European Commission Rejects Initiative
The Save Europe Act, launched this spring, seeks to significantly strengthen restrictions on non-Western immigration within the European Union. It is built around the concept of “remigration,” a term used by several identitarian movements to describe the return or removal of immigrants or persons of foreign origin to their countries of origin.
At the end of July, the European Commission rejected the Save Europe Act. European authorities claimed the text could lead to discrimination based on race and ethnic origin and would be incompatible with European Union values.
The Rhône prefecture echoed this argument in its ban order, asserting that the Lyon gathering, organized to support this initiative, would introduce discrimination based on race and ethnic origin and thus constitute a serious violation of human dignity.
Authorities Label Movement as Extremist
French authorities have characterized “remigration” as a xenophobic and racist ideology. The collective Objectif Remigration, which emerged from Les Natifs, a nationalist group based in Paris, claims to have several hundred activists in France and operates eleven local sections, including in Rouen, Montpellier, Aix-en-Provence, and Toulouse.
A similar gathering had already been prohibited by the prefecture of Nord in Lille the previous week.
Fear of Clashes with Far-Left Groups
Several left-wing organizations and unions had announced a counter-demonstration described as anti-fascist and anti-racist in Lyon. The prefecture cited a history of extreme violence between these two opposing factions.
Authorities specifically referenced the death last February of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old nationalist activist. He was killed in Lyon following clashes that erupted on the sidelines of a conference by Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan at Sciences Po Lyon. Several activists from the Jeune Garde antifasciste, a movement associated with far-left deputy Raphaël Arnault, have been implicated in the incident.
With information from Valeurs Actuelles
