On Sunday 7 September, local fascist group ‘Sauvons Calais’ will once again try to hold a demonstration ‘against immigration’ in Calais, bringing in hardcore neo-nazis from across France. A number of high-profile fascists have already confirmed their presence including Thomas Joly (general secretary of Parti de la France), Yvan Benedetti (conseiller municipal of Vénissieux and former-member of the now banned organization L’Œuvre française), and Richard Roudier (of Réseau Identités). It is also likely that some neonazi gangs will arrive before and stay for more time after the demo to attack vulnerable people in the streets.
We have recently seen a huge spate of these attacks against activists, and charity volunteers, as well as their usual migrant targets. Comrades have been attacked in the night by gangs with knives, telescopic truncheons, and pepperspray. One well known volunteer narrowly escaped a kidnap attempt where a group of fascists tried to drag her into a car. Especially in Calais we cannot look to the police for protection. Last winter they stood by while ‘Sauvons Calais’ and other fascists sustained an attack on a squat for a week, using missiles, molotov cocktails, and axes to try to break in.
There is no place for fascists in Calais. We will resist this neo-nazi rally. We will resist the recent wave of fascist street attacks. But with possibly hundreds of neonazis arriving, we cannot do this alone. We call on antifascists from across France, and across Europe, to join us for a gathering of solidarity through the weekend of 5-7 September.
We need your support to shut down ‘Sauvons Calais’ demo. We need your support to help defend homes and meeting places under attack. We also want to invite musicians, film-makers, and others to come and join us to make an international festival of resistance! From 1940 to 2014, French people and immigrants from all over the world have repeatedly united to defeat nazism. We want to celebrate this tradition with action, and also with events such as concerts, film-showings, discussions and more. We welcome all proposals and expressions of solidarity in the coming days.
