PARIS – France’s government on Wednesday ordered the dissolution of multiple extreme right and radical Muslim groups, four days before the first round of high-stakes legislative elections that may see a surge in support for political extremes.
Snap national elections called by pro-business moderate President Emmanuel Macron have plunged the country into a hasty and disorderly electoral race, in which hate speech is becoming a growing concern.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on Wednesday that the government ordered the shutdown of several groups peddling extremist hatred. A series of decrees announcing the shutdown outlined investigations into the groups and said they posed risks of violence.
The groups affected include GUD, known for violence and anti-Semitism. Its members have supported far-right political leader Marine Le Pen in the past.
Le Pen’s National Rally party is leading all polls ahead of the two-round elections, June 30 and July 7, while Macron’s centrist alliance is lagging far behind. However, the outcome remains highly uncertain due to the complex, two-stage voting system and potential political alliances.
This is not the first time the French government has moved to dissolve groups it believes infringe on security and human rights, but the pre-election timing of Wednesday’s announcement appeared to send a clear message about extremism.
Another targeted group, called Les Remparts, is accused of inciting hate, discrimination and violence toward foreigners and non-white people, according to Interior Ministry decrees.
Another decree targeted a group called Jonas Paris, which it said claims to support France’s Muslim community but instead promotes violence, hate and discrimination toward non-Muslims, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim discourse has also surfaced in the campaign.
Activist group SOS Racisme announced on Wednesday it filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the spread of a widely shared video that mocks people of African origin and tells them to “go home.’’ The lawsuit is seeking charges of provocation of racial hatred against the video’s creators.
Noting similar videos that have appeared in Germany, the group said, ‘’these expressions of unbridled racism reflect a climate of the freeing-up of racist speech, fed by the worrying scores of the far right’’ in recent elections around Europe.
Facing the prospect that France could elect its first far-right government since the Nazi occupation during World War II, other parties have been scrambling to form alliances and field candidates.
The elections were called by Macron earlier this month after his party suffered a crushing defeat in the European Parliament election.
