France Bans Violent Antifascist Group Backed by Far-Left MP
13th June 2025
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has decided to dissolve the anti-fascist organisation La Jeune Garde, founded by far-left MP Raphaël Arnault, due to its repeated and explicit calls for political violence.
The threat had been looming for several weeks, and the minister’s decision was made public on Thursday, June 12th, after approval by the Council of Ministers the previous day.
The La Jeune Garde was founded in 2018 in Lyon. It claims to fight the “far right” in public spaces and openly promotes violence. It sees itself as a “tool of popular self-defence against the far right”. In June 2024, eight members of the group were charged with assaulting a 15-year-old on the Paris metro after a pro-Gaza event led by Franco-Palestinian activist Rima Hassan.