French authorities ban British far-right activists from gathering at weekend

French authorities have announced a sweeping ban on British far-right activists planning to take part in a “stop the boats” protest against asylum seekers hoping to cross the Channel to the UK.Friday’s announcement by the prefecture in northern France goes further than a previous ban by the French interior ministry on 10 unnamed far-right activists associated with the organisation Raise the Colours for “having carried out actions on French soil”.The ban, from the Nord and Calais" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17634" data-entity-type="location">Pas-de-Calais prefecture, aims to prevent British far-right activists involved in “Operation Overlord” from travelling to France this weekend. The ban comes into force at 11pm on Friday evening and continues until 8am on Monday morning.Operation Overlord was launched by Raise the Colours, an anti-migrant group placing England flags and union jacks on lamp-posts. But Daniel Thomas, an associate of the activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, parted company with the group and is now running Operation Overlord.St George’s flags in Weoley Castle, Birmingham: England and union jack flags have been flown on streets and roadsides in England as part of the Raise the Colours campaign. Photograph: Richard Saker/The GuardianBertrand Gaume, the prefect of the Nord department, and François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of the Calais" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17634" data-entity-type="location">Pas-de-Calais department, have issued an interdepartmental order prohibiting the British far-right activists from gathering.In a statement they said: “For several months, the presence of activists from the British far-right movement, particularly the Raise the Colours movement, involved in actions of intimidation against migrants and humanitarian organisations, has been observed on the coast of Nord and Calais" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17634" data-entity-type="location">Pas-de-Calais.“These actions, widely disseminated on social media, are part of a xenophobic and anti-immigrant ideology and create a clear risk of public disorder.”They said the ban had been introduced to “prevent any confrontation or threat to public safety”. It prohibits the presence and gathering of self-proclaimed members of the groups in the districts of Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Montreuil-sur-Mer and Lille.The French prefecture statement added that the aim of the ban was to preserve public order in the area. “State services, particularly internal security forces, will be fully mobilised to ensure the proper implementation of this decree, with the aim of protecting migrants, who are often victims of exploitation by smuggling networks, and guaranteeing the safety of everyone on the coast,” it said.“British nationals belonging to these groups, who are apprehended by law enforcement, will be returned to the border as quickly as possible.”Raise the Colours (flags in the Birmingham area, above) has been ‘involved in actions of intimidation against migrants and humanitarian organisations … on the coast of Nord and Calais" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17634" data-entity-type="location">Pas-de-Calais’, the French prefecture said. Photograph: Richard Saker/The GuardianOn Friday, Thomas posted on X: “Last night I gave an update on the gathering in Dover and on British and English lads travelling to France on the 24th of January. What I need people to understand is this: some details must be held back until the very last moment, not out of secrecy for secrecy’s sake, but because of how important this is and what we’re trying to achieve.“The logistics are being handled carefully, responsibly, and with purpose. When the time is right, people will know what they need to know.”Named after the Normandy landings on D-day in 1944, Operation Overlord, when part of Raise the Colours, circulated appeals for stab-proof vests, plate carriers, high-powered torches, thermal cameras, drones and encrypted radios.Lachlan Macrae of Calais Food Collective, an NGO working to support asylum seekers in northern France, said: “We welcome the decision by the French government to ban the actions of those involved with ‘Operation Overlord’. The decision from France shows these people to be what we in Calais always knew them to be, far-right racist agitators who are intent on coming out to France to harass displaced people and threaten violence.“These are British citizens whose movement, groups and rhetoric have been normalised by the British government. They pose a threat to the stability of the UK and are promoting violence and hatred in the UK, too. The British government needs to take action against them and face up to the challenges of racism and hatred.”The Home Office has been approached for comment. So far 931 people have crossed the Channel in small boats in 2026.