France set to dissolve far-right anti-migrant group

PARIS

France is set to dissolve Generation Identitaire (Generation Identity), a far-right group which declared a “war on migrants” in the country.

According to local media reports, the Interior Ministry notified the group of its upcoming dissolution, and it could be shut down unless it responds within 10 days.

The group is known for its discriminatory attitude towards foreigners and Muslims. On Jan. 19, around 30 of its members announced that they had launched an anti-migrant operation in the Pyrenees and would be conducting “border patrols” to prevent the entry of migrants to France.

In response, the public prosecutor in the town of Saint-Gaudens launched an investigation, accusing the group of inciting people to hatred and hostility.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the group’s statements targeting migrants were “scandalous” and its dissolution would now be on the government’s agenda.

The group, which was founded in 2012, had distanced itself from violence-oriented neo-Nazi groups but has long remained a source of concern for security agencies, as its leading members have propagated white supremacist ideas and anti-Muslim and racist conspiracy theories such as “The Great Replacement.”

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas