France

France

Alexander Samuel

France has a mixed history with fascism and nazism. Despite the occupation by nazi Germany 1939-1945 and a french collaboration with Hitler’s regime under Maréchal Pétain based in Vichy, général De Gaulle and the french resistance he coordinated during that period has turned into a strong french symbol.

But we can trace back these internal oppositions to the 19th century, with antisemitic conspiracy theories starting in the left wing anticapitalist political side[1]. Writer Emile Zola represents the first strong opposition to mainstream antisemitic discourses, defending Dreyfus, a jewish soldier wrongly accused of being a traitor, in his famous « J’accuse », january 13th 1898. One year later, journalists from « L’antijuif » (the anti-jew), dissatisfied with the Dreyfus affair’s conclusion, resisted to a police siege while shooting in the streets, in an event called « Fort Chabrol »[2].

A founding event for french antifascist movements is the creation of the « Jeune Garde Socialiste » in Belgium, 1886. During the 1920s, the french socialist party (SFIO) created its own « Jeune Garde Socialiste » and « Toujours Prêts Pour Servir » (TPPS) radical antifascist groups. Their actions were to oppose far right groups in the streets, those events culminating during the fascist protests in Paris, february 1934, that led to 19 deaths and around 1000 injured[3].

The three arrows logo used by the “Jeune Garde Antifasciste » created in Lyon, 2018, is a direct reference to those movements. They opposed fascist movements around the « Bastion Social » that culminated around Lyon at that time. Their leader, Raphaël Arnault, was elected deputy in 2022. The group was dissolved by the french government in 2025 but still exists informally, contesting their dissolution on legal basis. This group went on after « Groupe Antifasciste Lyon et Environs » (GALE) which existed from 2011 to 2022 when it was also dissolved.

Other antifascist groups emerged in France throughout the 20th century. In the 1980s, Red Warriors, Ducky Boys and Ruddy Fox reacted to neonazi boneheads, they were the « chasseurs de skins »[4]. Bands like « Béruriers Noirs » or « Brigada Flores Magon » were active in opposing neonazis.1984, the SCALP was born (Section Carrément anti-Le Pen), against Jean-Marie Le Pen, far right leader of the « Front National ». He was a member of the french army during the colonial Algeria war, where he allegedly participated in human torture[5].

Subsequently, other antifascist groups emerged like No Pasaran (1992) or Ras l’Front (1990). Those active nowadays include Action antifasciste Paris-Banlieue (AFAPB) created in 2008 and La Horde created in 2012. Various antifascist action groups also exist around France, in various regions or areas : action antifasciste 04, 06, La Rochelle, Ain, Beaucaire, Deux-Sèvres, Mulhouse Haut-Rhin… An important antifascist symbol in France are the yearly marches for Clement Meric, an activist who died on june 5th, 2013, killed by a neonazi activist.

Useful resources are produced by various antifascist media :

Streetpress : https://cartofaf.streetpress.com/

La Horde : https://lahorde.info/

Indextreme : https://indextreme.fr/

Some references about fascism in France :

https://www.editionsdivergences.com/livre/pop-fascisme

https://www.seuil.com/ouvrage/drapeau-noir-jeunesses-blanches-sebastien-bourdon/9782021566284

https://www.editionsducommun.org/products/extreme-danger

https://www.denoel.fr/catalogue/l-extreme-droite-nouvelle-generation/9782207180822

https://ecosociete.org/livres/la-tentation-ecofasciste

https://www.editionsdurocher.fr/product/127301/les-tueurs-d-extreme-droite

https://www.editionsdelalanterne.com/product-page/avant-garde-d-extr%C3%AAme-droite