The xenophobic evening was supposed to take place in a right-wing identity bar in the Seine-Maritime prefecture, two days before the first round of the legislative elections.
This is at least one victory over the weekend. The organizers of a xenophobic evening entitled “Ausländer Raus” (“Foreigners Out” in German), which was to be held on Friday June 28 in an identitarian bar in Rouen, have finally announced its cancellation despite the green light from the courts, which had been urgently seized.
“To take into account a certain emotion resulting of the provocative character of the title of the evening, a title likely to give members of the association feelings or intentions that are not theirs, when this evening had no other aim than to initiate a debate on immigration in France, the association decided on its own initiative to cancel the evening”they write on social networks. A “debate” in respect of the values of the Republic, without a doubt…
On Thursday, the socialist mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, had issued a municipal decree banning this evening organized by the right-wing identity bar “Le Mora”. The association organizing the evening had subsequently filed an interim relief application with the Rouen administrative court to request the suspension of the municipal decree.
The court ruled in their favor late Friday afternoon, according to the decision consulted by Release. “The disturbance of public order resulting from an attack” to human dignity which would allow the mayor of Rouen to ban the evening “is not characterized in the circumstances”wrote the interim relief judge in his order.
According to the judge, it has not been established at this stage that “the slogan Ausländer Raus which gave its title to the evening organized on June 28, 2024 by the Union Normande de France association comes, even probably, from propaganda or songs broadcast during the National Socialist regime [nazi, ndlr].»
“No criminal prosecution” in Germany
“Ausländer Raus” is a xenophobic slogan that went viral after being hijacked by young people who sang it to the techno tune of “L’Amour toujours”, by DJ Gigi D’Agostino, sometimes embellished with Nazi salutes as we can see on some videos.
But according to the administrative court, “The German authorities have not taken any criminal action against the use of these words sung by high school graduates” in May 2024. “The report made to the public prosecutor by the mayor of Rouen on June 21, 2024 was, eight days later, on today’s date, left unanswered”the court also notes.
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol immediately announced his intention to appeal this decision to the Council of State.. “I maintain that a call to xenophobia such as “Foreigners out” (Ausländer Raus, German Nazi slogan) has no place neither in Rouen nor anywhere in our Republic”underlines the mayor of Rouen.
The Seine-Maritime prefect had banned all demonstrations in the area around the bar located on a pedestrian street in the city centre from 5pm on Friday to 4am on Saturday. “Risks of public order disturbances and clashes between opposing demonstrators on public roads have been identified,” had estimated the prefect, whose order is not affected by the decision of the administrative court.
Outside the perimeter affected by the prefectural ban, around 300 people demonstrated Friday evening to oppose “the racist and anti-foreigners evening organized by the bar “Le Mora”. Speaking to France Bleu, one of the participants in this gathering in the center of Rouen responds: “A lot of people felt insulted” by this evening, “cWhat we would like to see outside are not foreigners but people who discriminate and denigrate just because of an origin or a religion.».
