French government seeks to ban extreme right-wing group

The French government is taking steps to ban an extreme far-right movement believed to be planning violence at demonstration against gay marriage in Paris on Sunday.

The Interior Minister, Manuel Valls, said today that he was “studying” ways of banning Printemps Français [French spring], a group linked to a xenophobic writer who committed suicide at the altar of Notre Dame cathedral on Tuesday.

The nebulous movement, which loosely links a number of ultra-nationalist and Nazi-sympathising groups, is accused of making recent threats to public figures – including Frigide Barjot, the more moderate leader of anti-gay marriage protests.

Groups linked to Printemps Français are believed to be planning attacks on police, journalists and, possibly Ms Barjot, during the march due to be attended by up to 500,000 opponents of same-sex marriage.

Mr Valls said the splinter groups planned to go along “not to demonstrate but to… attack symbols of a Republic, which these far-right groups hate.”

The government fears the suicide on veteran far-right essayist Dominique Venner, was a call to violent action. In a declaration published on the day of the suicide, Printemps Français said France was “now subject to forces which wish to reduce it to servitude. The battle is only just beginning. It will continue until victory is won.”