The French authorities have taken tough measures against British far-right activists linked to the Raise the Colours movement, who have repeatedly staged protests against migrants on the Pas-de-Calais coast.
On 14 January 2026, the French Ministry of the Interior announced that it had imposed ten administrative bans on British citizens who are members of a far-right group from entering the country. These individuals are accused of ‘violent acts’ against migrants and attempts to sabotage small boats used for illegal crossings of the English Channel to the UK.
The bans were imposed after a series of incidents in the autumn of 2025 and winter of 2025/2026, including damage to inflatable boats, threats to volunteers from humanitarian organisations and direct clashes with migrants on beaches in the Calais-Gravelines-Dunkirk region.
On 23 January 2026, the prefects of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments went even further: they issued a special interdepartmental arrêté completely banning the presence and any gatherings of Raise the Colours members in several districts, including Calais, Dunkirk, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Montreuil-sur-Mer and Lille. The ban was in effect from 11 p.m. on Friday, 23 January, until 8 a.m. on Monday, 26 January — the very days on which the group had announced a major action called ‘Operation Overlord.’
If British citizens associated with the movement are identified, they will be promptly deported.
According to data from the French Ministry of the Interior and migrant aid associations, Raise the Colours activists have been regularly visiting the Côte d’Opale since autumn 2025, filming provocative videos and attempting to physically prevent boats from sailing. In 2025, a record 41,472 people arrived in the UK via the English Channel on small boats — the second highest figure in recorded history after 2022.
The reaction of the far right in Britain was predictably harsh: the movement called the French authorities’ decision ‘absolutely scandalous’ and accused Paris of inaction towards migrants.
The situation in Calais remains tense: despite the bans, humanitarian organisations fear that other British radicals may try to continue their actions under new banners.