Update, Tuesday, February 14, at 5 p.m.: Contacted Tuesday afternoon by AFP, the prefecture indicated that the prohibition order would be taken “in the next few hours”.
The evening called “Let them return to Africa” had been banned by the prefect. This is at least the communication that was made by the prefecture. This time, it was the prosecutor of Lille who announced, on Tuesday, the opening of an investigation around the bar “La Citadelle”, headquarters of the ultra-right movement in Lille, which organized the event.
This investigation for “public provocation to hatred or violence because of origin, ethnicity or race” was opened on February 13, following in particular a report from the prefectural services, indicates the prosecution. of Lille, in a message to AFP, confirming information from The voice of the North.
In “honor” of deputy RN Grégoire de Fournas
“La Citadelle” had published on social networks the announcement of this evening scheduled for February 24, entitled “Let them return to Africa”. The mayor (PS) of Lille, Martine Aubry, had challenged the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on Twitter, regretting “that once again Génération Identitaire and the bar La Citadelle are organizing a racist evening”.
Gérald Darmanin assured in the wake of having “asked the prefect of the North to ban this demonstration (…) directly inciting racial hatred”. On its site and its Facebook page, “La Citadelle” indicates that it is organizing this “special evening” in “honor” of the deputy RN Grégoire de Fournas, taking up a declaration launched on November 3 at the National Assembly.
Referred freedom before the administrative court
The parliamentarian had been sanctioned with an exclusion from the session for 15 days and the loss of half of his parliamentary allowance for two months, the heaviest possible disciplinary sanction.
The host of La Citadelle, Aurélien Verhassel, told AFP on Thursday of his intention to file an interim order before the Lille administrative court to maintain the evening, which, according to him “does not fall under the scope of the law “.
The structure’s lawyer said on Tuesday that he had not been notified of an act by the prefecture to ban the evening. Contacted by AFP, the prefecture declined to comment.