Ultra-right: the administrative court suspends the ban of an Action française conference on Saturday in Paris

Europe 1 with AFP 13:52 p.m., May 13, 2023

The administrative court of Paris on Saturday suspended an order of the prefecture of police prohibiting the holding of a symposium organized in the afternoon by the royalist movement Action française classified to the extreme right, according to the decision transmitted to AFP. The police prefecture told AFP it "took note" of this decision, in which the court did not explain its motivations.

Six gatherings banned this weekend

It had published this decree on Friday, after a circular from the Minister of the Interior to ban several "demonstrations and gatherings of the ultra-right", following the controversy related to the demonstration in Paris on May 6 of ultra-right activists mostly with their faces hidden and wearing Celtic crosses. "Our colloquium will take place! First victory for this great weekend," Action française said on Twitter. This symposium of the organization, entitled "The France in danger", is scheduled for 14:30 in the twelfth arrondissement of Paris.

The organization had applied to the administrative courts for summary proceedings, an urgent procedure when the complainant considered that there had been a "serious and manifestly unlawful infringement" of a fundamental freedom on the part of a State service.

The police prefecture has banned a total of six gatherings planned for this weekend in Paris on the basis of the instruction given Tuesday to the prefects by Gerald Darmanin, including five at the call of movements classified to the far right, arguing a risk of disturbance to public order.

Demonstration of yellow vests also banned

Among them is another event at the initiative of the Action française, a demonstration in tribute to Joan of Arc convened Sunday morning from the Place de l'Opéra (IXth arr.). The organization announced that it had also filed a summary release with the Paris Administrative Court against this ban. A rally in front of the statue of Joan of Arc declared by the movement "The Nationalists" of Yvan Benedetti, a figure of the extreme right, which was to take place at the same time as the demonstration of the Action française, was also banned, as well as a march of the military association "Place d'armes".

A sixth demonstration, of yellow vests, which was to take the same route as that of the soldiers of "Place d'armes", was also banned by the prefect of police.