Will the case set a precedent in a region that has always been a land of welcome? The municipality of Callac (Côtes-d’Armor) has decided to abandon the Horizon project which planned to welcome around fifteen refugee families over 10 years in order in particular to revitalize this aging town in central Brittany.
The approach, supported by the private endowment fund Merci, involved renovating abandoned buildings and helping newcomers find work. The announcement of the project last spring was not unanimous among the inhabitants. The extreme right at the local and national level had seized the file. Several elected officials had been threatened with death or dumped on Islamophobic sites. Complaints had been filed.
Demonstrations organized by Reconquête and the RN
The announcement of a second refugee reception project, this time led by the State, had worsened the situation. Two demonstrations had been organized by Reconquête and the RN in recent months. Supporters had responded by also organizing their own rally. On Twitter, Éric Zemmour (who won only 4.91% of the presidential vote in the region) reacted to the announcement by congratulating his activists “who have fought since day one alongside all patriots to prevent this disastrous project of distributing migrants to Callac”.
Guy Joncour, resident of Callac and defender of the project is angry: “We played on people’s fear. There were mix-ups. Callac today is completely divided, whereas it has always been a town of hospitality”.
Moulay Drissi, one of the first inhabitants opposed to Horizon, considers that “reason prevailed”, but he condemns the attacks against elected officials.
“The fascist threats they have suffered are a real attack on democracy and are intolerable”, denounces the regional councilor Fanny Chappé on Twitter.