French authorities have arrested two far-right British activists in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.
An order had been issued on Friday prohibiting British activists from gathering for a planned “stop the boats” protest nicknamed Operation Overlord in the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. The order was due to expire at 8am on Monday but was extended for two days.
UK far-right activists have been travelling to northern France with increasing frequency in recent months with a declared intention of stopping small boats from crossing the Channel, something they say French and UK governments have failed to do.
In 2025, more than 40,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats, and so far in 2026 another 931 people have made the journey.
On visits to France, far-right agitators have posted footage of themselves slashing dinghies and confronting migrants.
According to François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, two unnamed individuals were arrested while broadcasting live videos from the French coast that allegedly contained discriminatory remarks and suggested their potential involvement in Operation Overlord.
They were taken into custody near the northern town of Calais on Sunday evening, Lauch said.
Police sources told Le Monde that the men, aged 35 and 53, had been recording content likely to incite hatred live on a YouTube channel.
Lauch said the French authorities would take strict administrative measures against them, including issuing an order to leave French territory based on the threat to public order, with a view to their return to their country of origin.
The Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor Cécile Gressier said the men were placed in police custody for inciting hatred and participating in a group with the aim of preparing acts of violence, based on comments made on social media.
She said these were the first arrests of British far-right activists in France on these grounds, adding that they were not accused of violence against individuals.
The two men were not among the 10 far-right activists banned from French territory since mid-January by the interior ministry on charges of “violent actions” against migrants in northern France.
Operation Overlord was initially part of Raise the Colours but has now been taken over by Daniel Thomas, an associate of Tommy Robinson. The Raise the Colours account on X said on Saturday it had nothing to do with the operation led by Thomas.
