After Callac, who’s next? The municipality of this town in the Côtes-d’Armor had to, under constant pressure from the far right, abandon its project to welcome refugees in January. In his victory statement on January 10, one of the main leaders of the opposition to the mayor’s initiative, the candidate Reconquête! in the legislative elections of June 2022 Bernard Germain, warns: “the reception will be the same” for cities that choose to follow Callac’s example.
If the distribution of exiles in small towns rarely poses a problem, making Callac an epiphenomenon on the scale of the country, the Breton town is the symbol of the cultural battle waged in recent months by the militants of Eric Zemmour, with blows demonstrations, digital mobilization and pressure on elected officials. A rare activism on the right of the political spectrum, which the party, with disappointing electoral results, presents as the counterpoint “with crossed arms of the RN [Rassemblement national] to the National Assembly” and which offers an outlet for its radical militants.
Unbolting of Christian statues by court order; conferences of radical imams; educational or cultural initiatives on migrants or the LGBT+ community: Reconquest! everywhere sees attacks against the « civilisation ».
After Callac, members of the Zemmourian party and media from the “fachosphere” spread the rumor that such and such a municipality would welcome the abandoned project. In Paimpol (Côtes-d’Armor), the socialist mayor had to deny having intended to do so. Claire Masson, elected ecologist from Auray (Morbihan), targeted by the same misinformation, plans to file a complaint: “It is a concern for democracy if small groups can exert pressure and steer policy”she warns.
“Threatening, guilt-inducing and xenophobic” emails
Yannick Morez, mayor (various right) of Saint-Brévin-les Pins (Loire-Atlantique), is not intimidated but he has no illusions. After Callac, he expects “the pressure is rising” in his municipality. The project is however not the same. When Callac was considering the gradual settlement of refugee families to revitalize its town, Saint-Brévin was waiting for the creation of a reception center for asylum seekers (CADA), imposed by the State and approved by the municipality. The CADA will move into disused buildings adjoining the Pierre-Attelée school, stuck on a plot of pine trees between a campsite and the ocean.
You have 75.27% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.