British activists banned from France over 'destruction' of small boats

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Ten British "far-right activists" person been banned from France for "reconnaissance and demolition activities" against tiny boats utilized successful migrant crossings.

The country's interior ministry said successful a connection that the individuals were identified arsenic portion of the Raise the Colours movement.

Raise the Colours told Sky News it has not received ceremonial notification of the bans, and said it "has ever maintained that its activities indispensable stay peaceful and wrong the law".

The French ministry said the 10 "engaged, successful particular, successful reconnaissance and demolition activities targeting tiny boats, arsenic good arsenic successful propaganda activities on the French coastline".

It said those banned connected Tuesday were "far-right activists" who took portion successful operations successful the Nord and Pas-de-Calais areas successful December.

The 10, which person not been named, are present prohibited from entering and staying successful France.

"These actions were aimed astatine a British audience, calling connected them to bolster the ranks of the question successful bid to enactment an extremity to migration," the ministry added.

Videos posted by Raise the Colours connected X successful December, seen by Sky News, amusement immoderate members of the radical saying they are successful France to halt tiny boats utilized by migrants from illegally crossing the English Channel.

One video, posted connected 5 December, shows an inflatable tiny vessel destroyed, with the caption: "Some radical accidental 'Stop The Boats' we really STOP THE BOATS."

Sky News could not verify the determination of that post. Other posts by the account, nether what it calls Operation Overload, suggest the videos online are filmed successful France.

The radical came to prominence past summertime arsenic portion of a corporate question to display the Union Flag and St George's flag - which bash not often look extracurricular sporting, royal oregon subject events - crossed the country.

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According to its website, Raise the Colours is simply a "lawful, civic movement", but added "individuals connected to our question person filmed and recorded events successful bluish France successful bid to uncover and exposure what is happening astir amerciable Channel crossings".

It says it does "not encourage, endorse oregon enactment anyone travelling to France, approaching migrant vessels, oregon attempting to intervene successful crossings".

"Any idiosyncratic choosing to question overseas oregon instrumentality carnal enactment does truthful wholly connected their ain inaugural and without our support, support oregon encouragement," it added.

In a connection to Sky News astir the bans, Raise the Colours said: "At the clip of issuing this statement, nary ceremonial notification has been received by Raise the Colours regarding immoderate administrative measures."

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The radical said it understands "the statements notation to administrative decisions concerning circumstantial individuals, alternatively than the organisation arsenic a whole," and added that "any authoritative correspondence volition beryllium reviewed if and erstwhile it is received done the due channels".

It past reiterated that Raise the Colours "has ever maintained that its activities indispensable stay peaceful and wrong the law" and it "does not enactment unit oregon immoderate unlawful activity" - citing a "structured recruitment and screening process we person enactment successful place".

"We respect the authorization of nationalist governments to support nationalist bid and volition proceed to enactment responsibly and diligently moving guardant successful our endeavours to halt the amerciable penetration of our country."

Sky News has contacted the Home Office for comment.

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