French authorities have arrested two British far-right activists in what is believed to be the first case of its kind. The men were taken into custody near Calais on Sunday evening while broadcasting live videos from the French coast that allegedly contained discriminatory remarks and suggested their potential involvement in a planned protest.
The protest, nicknamed Operation Overlord, aimed to stop small boats crossing the Channel. An order prohibiting British activists from gathering for the protest in the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais was issued on Friday and extended for two days on Monday. UK far-right activists have been travelling to northern France with increasing frequency in recent months, posting footage of themselves slashing dinghies and confronting migrants.
François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Boulogne-sur-Mer, said the two unnamed individuals were arrested while broadcasting content likely to incite hatred on a YouTube channel. Police sources told Le Monde the men, aged 35 and 53, had been recording such content live. Lauch said French authorities would take strict administrative measures, including issuing an order to leave French territory.
The Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor, Cécile Gressier, said the men were placed in police custody for inciting hatred and participating in a group with the aim of preparing acts of violence, based on comments made on social media. She said these were the first arrests of British far-right activists in France on these grounds, adding that they were not accused of violence against individuals.
The two men were not among the 10 far-right activists banned from French territory since mid-January by the interior ministry on charges of violent actions against migrants. Operation Overlord was initially part of the Raise the Colours group but has now been taken over by Daniel Thomas, an associate of Tommy Robinson. The Raise the Colours account on X said on Saturday it had nothing to do with the operation.
