Bloc identitaire
Encyclopedia
The Bloc Identitaire is a French
nationalist political group. It was founded in 2003 by some former members of Unité Radicale
and several other nationalist sympathizers, including Fabrice Robert, 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 organization of the FN (FNJ). Luyt claims inspiration by Guillaume Faye
's works in the Nouvelle Droite
movement.
The Bloc Identitaire aims to be a "rally for young French and Europeans who are proud of their roots and of their heritage". It opposes miscegenation
and "imperialism
, whether it be American or Islamic".
The Bloc identitaire runs the nationalist press agency and website Novopress
, that has associates in most of Western Europe and North America.
, 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
(PS) in a 19 January 2006 letter to the High authority for the struggle against discrimination and for equality
(HALDE).
This far-right group has also organized a campaign against the antisemitic rap group Sniper
in 2003, which was taken out by the conservative Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP) and translated itself in the cancellation of several concerts of the band. UMP deputy Nadine Morano
interpellated Interior Minister (UMP) Nicolas Sarkozy
on this theme, while 200 UMP deputies, led by François Grosdidier
, tried without success to censor several hip-hop bands
. Sarkozy criticized the hip-hop group as "ruffians who dishonor France."
In 2004, 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 on four murders. The French government would subsequently decide to extradite him to Italy, but Battisti escaped to Brazil, where President Lula da Silva gave him refuge from justice.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
nationalist political group. It was founded in 2003 by some former members of Unité Radicale
Unité Radicale
Unité Radicale was a French far-right political group close to the Third Position and National Bolshevism thesis. It was founded in June 1998 from the merger of Groupe Union Défense and Nouvelle Résistance/Jeune Résistance/Union des Cercles Résistance, issued from Nouvelle Résistance, and dissolved...
and several other nationalist sympathizers, including Fabrice Robert, former Unité Radicale member, former elected representative of the National Front (FN) and also former member of the National Republican Movement
National Republican Movement
The National Republican Movement is a French nationalist political party, created by Bruno Mégret with former Club de l'Horloge alumni, Yvan Blot and Jean-Yves Le Gallou, as a split from Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front on January 24, 1999.Although political observers have considered the MNR to...
(MNR), and Guillaume Luyt, former member of the monarchist Action française
Action Française
The Action Française , founded in 1898, is a French Monarchist counter-revolutionary movement and periodical founded by Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeois and whose principal ideologist was Charles Maurras...
, former Unité Radicale member, former director of the youth organization of the FN (FNJ). Luyt claims inspiration by Guillaume Faye
Guillaume Faye
Guillaume Faye is a French journalist and writer.With a PhD from Science-Po, Guillaume Faye was one of the major theorists of the French New Right in the 1970-1980’s. A former member of Alain de Benoist’s New Right organisation GRECE, he took part in the splitting of the organization in 1986...
's works in the Nouvelle Droite
Nouvelle Droite
Nouvelle Droite is a school of political thought founded largely on the works of Alain de Benoist and GRECE .-Etymology and history:...
movement.
The Bloc Identitaire aims to be a "rally for young French and Europeans who are proud of their roots and of their heritage". It opposes miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
and "imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
, whether it be American or Islamic".
The Bloc identitaire runs the nationalist press agency and website Novopress
Novopress
Novopress is a news site and press agency founded by Fabrice Robert, a leader of the French nationalist organization Bloc Identitaire. It is politically geared towards nationalist, anti-islamist and far right themes....
, that has associates in most of Western Europe and North America.
Activities
The Bloc identitaire has been accused of intentionally distributing several popular soups containing pork in order to exclude religious Jews or Muslims; in StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, Paris, and in Antwerp with the association Antwerpse Solidariteit close to the Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...
. These so-called "identity soups" ("soupes identitaires") have been forbidden by the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
on 21 January 2006, and called "discriminatory and xenophobic" by MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Catherine Trautmann
Catherine Trautmann
Catherine Trautmann is a former Minister of Culture of France and now Member of the European Parliament for the East of France.She was elected as mayor of Strasbourg in 1989, re-elected in 1995, then defeated in 2001....
(PS) in a 19 January 2006 letter to the High authority for the struggle against discrimination and for equality
High authority for the struggle against discrimination and for equality
The High Authority for the Struggle Against Discrimination and for Equality is a French "independent administrative authority" which "has the right to judge all discrimination, direct or indirect, that is prohibited by law or an international agreement to which France is a signatory."HALDE was...
(HALDE).
This far-right group has also organized a campaign against the antisemitic rap group Sniper
Sniper (group)
Sniper is a French hip hop Band from the Val-d'Oise department. The group consists of Tunisiano , Aketo , and Blacko, formerly Black Renega .- Biography :...
in 2003, which was taken out by the conservative Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
(UMP) and translated itself in the cancellation of several concerts of the band. UMP deputy Nadine Morano
Nadine Morano
Nadine Morano is a French politician of Italian descent and the Minister for Apprenticeship and Professional Formation under the Minister of Labour, Employment and Health, Xavier Bertrand. She was previously Secretary of State for Family in the government of François Fillon on March 18, 2008...
interpellated Interior Minister (UMP) Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
on this theme, while 200 UMP deputies, led by François Grosdidier
François Grosdidier
François Grosdidier is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Moselle department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-References:...
, tried without success to censor several hip-hop bands
Censorship in France
France has a long history of governmental censorship, particularly in the 16th to 18th centuries, but today freedom of press is guaranteed by the French Constitution and instances of governmental censorship are relatively limited and isolated....
. Sarkozy criticized the hip-hop group as "ruffians who dishonor France."
In 2004, 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 on four murders. The French government would subsequently decide to extradite him to Italy, but Battisti escaped to Brazil, where President Lula da Silva gave him refuge from justice.