Ten British “far-right activists” have been banned from France after engaging in actions to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, the French interior ministry said on Wednesday.
It said the activists, who belonged to a group called Raise the Colours, had been searching for and destroying small boats along France’s northern coast, and were involved in “propaganda activity”.
Authorities have not released their identities. News has contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment.
In a statement, Raise the Colours said it had always maintained that its activities must remain peaceful and within the law and it “does not support violence or any unlawful activity”.
The ministry said it became aware of the group’s actions in December 2025 which were likely to cause “serious disturbances to public order”.
Their efforts were “aimed at the British public, called upon to strengthen the ranks of the movement to put an end to the migratory phenomenon”, the ministry said.
The 10 British nationals are prohibited from entering and residing in France.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in a post on X that France’s “rule of law is non-negotiable; actions that are violent in nature or incite hatred have no place on our territory”.
Raise the Colours said it had not received any formal notification of France’s measure but understood the ban was against “specific individuals, rather than the organisation as a whole”.
The group described itself as a “grassroots movement for unity and patriotism” involved in a UK flag-raising campaign and that it had documented events in northern France around “illegal Channel crossings”.
Its website stated that it did not support “vigilante behaviour, unauthorised activity, or attempts by individuals to take the law into their own hands”.
Home Office figures show that 41,472 migrants crossed the Channel in 2025, a 13% rise from 2024. It is the highest number since 2022, when nearly 46,000 migrants crossed.
Between 1 January and 5 January 2026, a total of 32 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.
Since last year, a social media account called Raise the Colours has been circulating videos of its activities in France.
Small boat crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
In November, following months of pressure from the UK, France agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel.
