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Les Identitaires (English: The Identitarians), formerly the Bloc identitaire (English: ''Identitarian Bloc''), is an
Identitarian The Identitarian movement or Identitarianism is a pan-European nationalist, far-right political ideology asserting the right of European ethnic groups and white peoples to Western culture and territories claimed to belong exclusively to them. ...
nationalist movement in France. Like the
French New Right The Nouvelle Droite (; en, "New Right"), sometimes shortened to the initialism ND, is a far-right political movement which emerged in France during the late 1960s. The Nouvelle Droite is at the origin of the wider European New Right (ENR). Var ...
, scholars generally consider the movement
far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
or sometimes as a syncretic mixture of multiple ideologies across the political spectrum.Â
Le mouvement d'extrĂȘme droite Bloc identitaire se lance dans les rĂ©gionales
», ''
Le Point ''Le Point'' () is a French weekly political and news magazine published in Paris. History and profile ''Le Point'' was founded in September 1972 by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of '' L'Express'', w ...
'',
RĂ©mi Noyon (interviewer), StĂ©phane François (interviewĂ©), Â
Oubliez "Game of Thrones" : les identitaires ont des théories plus folles
», ''Rue89'', 11 mai 2014.
Les Identitaires contains a number of strains of political thought including nativism,
Catholic social teaching Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state (polity), state, subsidiarity, social o ...
,
direct democracy Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate decides on policy initiatives without legislator, elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently establishe ...
, regionalist
decentralisation Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...
, and
Yann Fouere Yann is a French male given name, specifically, the Breton form of "Jean" (French for "John"). Notable persons with the name Yann include: __NOTOC__ In arts and entertainment *Yann Martel (born 1963), Canadian author *Yann Moix (born 1968), Fre ...
's concept of a
Europe of 100 Flags Europe of 100 Flags is a concept developed by Breton nationalist Yann Fouéré in his 1968 book, ''L'Europe aux Cent Drapeaux''.Kelly, Mike (ndg"What the French really think about Brexit" University of Southampton website It proposes a redrawing of ...
. The group additionally advocates an anti-American and anti-Islamic foreign policy, calling the United States and
Islam Islam (; ar, Û˜Ű§Ù„ÙŰ„ŰłÙ„ÙŽŰ§Ù…, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
the two major imperialistic threats to Europe. It was founded in 2003 by some former members of Unité Radicale and several other
anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestine ...
and National Bolshevik sympathisers. It includes , former Unité Radicale member, former elected representative of the National Front (FN) and also former member of the National Republican Movement (MNR), and Guillaume Luyt, former member of the monarchist Action française, former Unité Radicale member, former director of the youth organisation of the FN,
National Front Youth National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
(FNJ). Luyt claims inspiration by Guillaume Faye's works in the Nouvelle Droite movement. The youth wing of Bloc Identitaire, called in France Génération identitaire, or Generation Identity, expanded to other European states soon after its creation in 2012, including ''Generazione Identitaria'' in Italy and ''IdentitÀre Bewegung'' in Germany and Austria. Other youth wings are also present in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Hungary, and the United Kingdom and Ireland. France banned Generation Identity in March 2021. The movement has been widely considered
neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...
, although Les Identitaires does not consider itself as such. Génération Identitaire was banned in March 2021.


Ideology

It opposes "imperialism, whether it be
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
or Islamic," and supports the
far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
Great Replacement
conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...
. The Bloc Identitaire runs the agency and website Novopress, that has associates in most of Western Europe and North America.


Novopress

''Novopress'' presents itself as an "international news agency" founded by Fabrice Robert, a leader of the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
nationalist organization Bloc Identitaire. Among its managers is Guillaume Luyt, former leader of the
Front national de la jeunesse Rassemblement national de la jeunesse (RNJ), formerly the Front National de la Jeunesse (FNJ; en, National Youth Front; 1973–2018) and the GĂ©nĂ©ration Nation (GN; en, Nation Generation; 2018–2022), is the youth organization of the French N ...
.
Patrick Gofman Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick o ...
is one of the editors of Novopress.info (French section). Novopress is politically geared towards nationalist,
anti-Islamist The ideas and practices of the leaders, preachers, and movements of the Islamic revival movement known as Islamism (also referred to as Political Islam) have been criticized by non-Muslims and Muslims (often Islamic modernists and liberals). ...
and
far right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
themes. Novopress had 13 national editions in Europe and North America, including in Ireland, Italy and France.


Controversies

The Bloc Identitaire has been accused of intentionally distributing several popular soups containing pork in order to exclude religious Jews or Muslims; in Strasbourg, Nice, Paris, and in Antwerp with the association Antwerpse Solidariteit close to the Vlaams Belang. These so-called "identity soups" ("soupes identitaires") have been forbidden by the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin in Strasbourg on 21 January 2006, and called "discriminatory and xenophobic" by MEP
Catherine Trautmann Catherine Trautmann (born 15 January 1951 in Strasbourg) is a French politician for the French Socialist Party. She served as Minister of Culture of France in the Lionel Jospin cabinet 1997–2000 and was a Member of the European Parliament 19 ...
(PS) in a 19 January 2006 letter to the High authority for the struggle against discrimination and for equality (HALDE). This ethno-regionalist movement has also organised a campaign against the rap group
Sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
in 2003, which was taken up by the conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), leading to the cancellation of several concerts of the band. UMP deputy
Nadine Morano Nadine Morano (; born 6 November 1963 in Nancy) is a French politician of the Republicans who has been serving as Member of the European Parliament since 2014. She previously was a member of the National Assembly and a minister. Early life Mor ...
interpolated Interior Minister (UMP)
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
on this theme, while 200 UMP deputies, led by
François Grosdidier François Grosdidier (; born 25 February 1961) is a French politician. He served as mayor of Metz since 2020. He also represented the Moselle department in the Senate and is a member of The Republicans. Early life and education François ...
, tried without success to censor several hip-hop bands. Sarkozy criticized the hip-hop group as "ruffians who dishonour France." In 2004, the Bloc Identitaire also organized a campaign against Italian writer Cesare Battisti, one-time member of the terrorist group Armed Proletarians for Communism, who was wanted in Italy for an assassination carried out during the Years of Lead, in which he denies responsibility. Battisti accused the "cell of the Italian embassy" of having "financed" the Bloc identitaire's campaign against him (in ''Ma Cavale'', p. 160). Battisti was convicted to life sentence in his homeland for a total of 36 charges, including participation in four murders. The French government would subsequently decide to extradite him to Italy, but Battisti escaped to Brazil where he was granted political asylum. In 2010, they staged a protest in "resistance to the Islamization of France" at the
Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-ÉlysĂ©es at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''Ă©toile'' ...
(relocated from an earlier planned site in
Goutte-d'Or The Goutte d'Or (, ''Drop of Gold'') is a neighbourhood in Paris, located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The neighbourhood has large numbers of North African and sub-Saharan residents. It is known for its open-air market, ''le marché Dej ...
) where people would eat pork and drink grape juice or wine. In November 2012 the Génération Identitaire, the youth wing of the BI, occupied the mosque in
Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''PoetĂ e'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
, the site where Charles Martel defeated an invading Muslim Moorish force in 732. In June 2018, Facebook banned Generation Identity for violating its policies against extremist content and hate groups. In December 2018,
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, Ű§Ù„ŰŹŰČÙŠŰ±Ű©, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazÄ«rah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
produced a documentary entitled "Generation Hate" featuring an undercover journalist who had infiltrated Génération Identitaire. The documentary included undercover footage of Génération Identitaire members in the northern French city of Lille racially abusing and assaulting migrant youths, advocating violence against Muslims, and alleged linkages between Génération Identitaire and
Front National The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right: Academic: ...
. Génération Identitaire's actions were condemned by Mayor of Lille Martine Aubry and Prefect of the North Michele Lalande, who advocated prosecuting offenders for inciting hatred and closing down ''La Citadelle'', which served as a meeting place for location Génération Identitaire members in Lille. Prosecutor Thierry Pocquet Haut-Jussé has also announced an investigation by the
Central Directorate of Public Security The Central Directorate of Public Security (DCSP) (french: Direction Centrale de la Sécurité Publique) is the uniformed patrol and response arm of the French National Police (''Police Nationale'') responsible for keeping the peace and maintaini ...
into the activities of the Génération Identitaire members. On 11 July 2019, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the country's domestic intelligence agency, formally designated the Identitarian Movement as "a verified extreme right movement against the liberal democratic constitution." The new classification will allow the BfV to use more powerful surveillance methods against the group and its youth wing, Generation Identity. The Identitarian Movement has about 600 members in Germany.


Lawsuit

In August 2019, a
French court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
sentenced three members of Generation Identity to a six-month jail term, fines of €2,000 each and loss of civic rights for five years, and fined the pan-European organisation €75,000, over an anti-immigrant operation in the Alps. Generation Identity president ClĂ©ment Gandelin, spokesman Romain Espino and Damien LefĂšvre were found guilty of "exercising activities in conditions that could create confusion with a public function". The case was that the operation, involving about 100 of their members at the
Col de l'Échelle Col de l'Échelle (el. 1762 m., in Italian ''Colle della Scala'') is a mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France. It is the lower mountain pass between France and Italy and connects VallĂ©e de la ClarĂ©e and VallĂ©e ...
in April 2018, could have been mistaken for a police action.


Ban

On 3 March 2021, France banned Génération Identitaire (Generation Identity), as the Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the movement incited "discrimination, hatred and violence". A few weeks before, dozens of people protested in Paris against the dissolution. it was estimated about 200 protesters.
Jordan Bardella Jordan Bardella (born 13 September 1995) is a French far-right politician who has been the president of the National Rally (RN) since 2022, previously serving as acting president from September 2021 to November 2022 and as vice-president from 20 ...
, at the time the spokesperson for the
National Rally The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a Far-right politics, far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as fa ...
, posted statements of support for Génération Identitaire. As a result, Facebook removed the posts and suspended certain features of his account.


References


External links

*
Interview with Fabrice Robert in English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Identitaires, Les Far-right political parties in France French nationalist parties Political parties established in 2003 Identitarian movement in France Identitarian movement Anti-Islam sentiment in France 2003 establishments in France Pan-European nationalism Right-wing parties in France