Anti-fascist mobilization planned

At the Paris Labor Exchange, several hundred people gathered to prepare an anti-fascist weekend of mobilization. Political activists, trade unionists, and association members discussed how to respond to three events promoting "remigration" scheduled between Friday, October 30, and Sunday, November 1. Aïssatou, present at the general assembly, said, "It is important to mobilize to show that we are united against fascism, that we are organized, and that we will not let ourselves be pushed around."

Racist attack fuels mobilization

The racist attack in Trappes, which cost the life of Pengo Bossio Wangi on October 23, constituted, she said, "an additional electric shock." The mobilization takes place in a context of political and social tensions, as the student movement enters a new phase. A few days earlier, on October 24, a demonstration against the National Rally gathered 26,000 people according to organizers, 13,000 according to the prefecture. "It's crazy, there had not been such a huge mobilization since 1997 in Strasbourg," enthused a militant present at the Paris general assembly.

Far-right event in Paris

Three far-right events were announced in the Paris region. The first: a book dedication event for the book Remigration by the Austrian Martin Sellner, scheduled for Friday, October 30, at the Logos bookstore in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Martin Sellner defends a project of mass expulsions targeting foreigners as well as naturalized individuals or those from immigration. In 2018, he received a donation from Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 51 people in March 2019.

Far-right conference in Plessis-Robinson

The second event was to take place on Saturday, October 31, at the Maison des arts du Plessis-Robinson, in the Hauts-de-Seine. Titled "France remigration, let's open the debate," this conference was organized by Polémia, a think tank founded by Jean-Yves Le Gallou, a former official of the National Front and a figure of European identitarian far-right. On the program: Renaud Camus, theorist of the "great replacement," Alice Cordier, president of the Némésis collective, Jean-Eudes Gannat, former leader of the nationalist group Alvarium, as well as representatives of European far-right formations. Eric Zemmour was to intervene via video.

Controversy over funding

Finally, a demonstration by the Objectif Remigration collective was announced on Sunday, November 1, in the streets of Paris. The choice of the Maison des arts du Plessis-Robinson had caused a backlash among local elected officials. This cultural facility, partly funded by the intercommunality Vallée Sud-Grand Paris, was rented to the organizers for 4,500 euros. According to information published by Mediapart, the intercommunality contributed 32.5% to the funding of the facility. The Republican mayor of Plessis-Robinson, Philippe Pemezec, who had supported Eric Zemmour's candidacy in the 2022 presidential election, defended the rental in the name of freedom of expression.

Authorities ban two events

On Thursday, October 29, the authorities finally banned two of the three events. At the request of the Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, the prefect of the Hauts-de-Seine issued an order banning the Saturday conference. The Paris police prefecture did the same for the identitarian demonstration planned for Sunday. The authorities cite the risks of public order disturbances after the racist attack in Trappes, as well as the tense climate linked to the student movement.

Anti-fascists see partial victory

For the mobilized collectives, these bans have the taste of victory. "Once our lawyer, Me Samy Djemaoun, filed a freedom reference with the Cergy court to request the cancellation of the conference, we noticed that the prefect moved. We think it is related," explained Pav, a militant from the inter-organization "Virons les fachos - against the weekend on remigration." "It is obviously the pressure we put by announcing counter-events that made the prefect move, even though we regret that he did not act earlier," she continued.

Legal challenges continue

Polémia has filed a lawsuit with the Cergy-Pontoise administrative court to challenge the order banning its conference. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, October 30, at 2 p.m. The Objectif Remigration collective has also announced a freedom reference against the ban on its Paris demonstration. While awaiting judicial decisions, anti-fascist collectives maintain their calls for mobilization.

Sellner's event in doubt

The third meeting, scheduled for Friday at the Logos bookstore, also had a twist. On Thursday evening, Martin Sellner announced on his X account that he had been detained upon arrival in France. The Austrian identitarian militant published a photograph of a document notifying him of an administrative ban on the French territory. He claims he must be sent back to Austria on Friday. His book dedication event therefore appears compromised.

Racist violence in context

These mobilizations take place only days after the racist attack in Trappes and La Verrière, which cost the life of Pengo Bossio Wangi and caused several serious injuries. His father, Boléma Bossio Wangi, had himself fought against neo-Nazi groups in the 1980s, within the Black Dragons, known for their confrontations with far-right skinheads. In an interview given in 2014, he recounted the racist violence to which he was subjected in the streets of Paris. Forty years later, racist speeches have changed costume. They no longer restrict themselves to skinhead groups, they are now expressed in conferences, books, and political projects.