Near a camp in Dunkirk where hundreds of asylum seekers sleep, hoping to cross the Channel to Britain, chilling graffiti has appeared. It includes a hangman’s noose with a figure dangling beside the word “migrant,” and nearby, a Jewish Star of David painted in black and surrounded by red swastikas.
On Christmas Day, the French migrant support group Utopia 56 posted an image of the graffiti on X, commenting: “This is what comes from normalising the extreme right’s rhetoric—a visible, unapologetic, unabashed hatred.”
It is unclear who is responsible, but the graffiti follows a period of increased activity in France by far-right British activists. Some have harassed asylum seekers where they sleep or boasted of slashing dinghies to prevent crossings. Many who support asylum seekers in northern France believe this behavior has been encouraged by the rightward shift in mainstream British politics.
“The reason they’re coming out and doing this stuff is because they’re emboldened,” said Lachlan Macrae of the Calais Food Collective. His group has found water containers stabbed or contaminated with soap to make the water undrinkable. “They come with bulletproof vests and go onto the beaches. They’ve been harassing people and streaming this content. As ground is ceded to the far right, the far right has grown in response. Far-right groups in Calais are the norm now.”
Other French support groups report that water tanks they provide for asylum seekers—who often struggle to access clean water—are being vandalized and damaged, making them unusable.
Asylum seekers who have encountered these activists at their sleeping sites say that although they are afraid, they refuse to be provoked when goaded.
While hostility from far-right agitators in northern France is not new, visits from British anti-migrant campaigners have increased over the past 18 months.
The first signs appeared in the summer of 2024, when Alan Leggett, who calls himself “Active Patriot,” was photographed on French beaches demanding an end to Channel crossings.
Last summer, activists from the far-right UK Independence Party (Ukip), including its leader Nick Tenconi, filmed themselves in Calais confronting mainly Sudanese asylum seekers living in a squatted warehouse and intimidating advocacy groups that support them.
In November last year, the activity escalated. Raise the Colours, a Birmingham-based anti-migrant group known for draping Union Jack and England flags across Britain, launched “Operation Overlord”—a series of trips to France to “stop the boats.” Daniel Thomas, a key figure in the group at the time, said the operation was “for our grandfathers, for our families, and above all for our children.”
Recently, Thomas and Raise the Colours have parted ways. Thomas continues to organize “stop the boats” actions under the name Operation Overlord, while Raise the Colours has renamed its activities in northern France “Operation Stop the Boats.” The split does not appear amicable.
Named after the 1944 D-Day landings, Operation Overlord—while part of Raise the Colours—circulated appeals for stab-proof vests, plate carriers, high-powered torches, thermal cameras, drones, and encrypted radios. The group sought recruits online with an 11-page “volunteer pre-screen application.” One man who claimed to be ex-army posted a call on Facebook for “ex-squaddies” to join.”We can’t eat. We can’t sleep. It’s a disaster,” say the small boat detainees waiting to be sent back to France.
Raise the Colours has livestreamed activists harassing asylum seekers waiting to cross the Channel and posted videos of them holding up deflated dinghies they claim to have slashed, saying this directly prevents crossings. However, some French NGOs supporting asylum seekers in northern France say those dinghies had already been abandoned in sand dunes when found. The anti-fascist group Searchlight posted footage of some Raise the Colours members running away in northern France, though it’s unclear from whom.
Last Wednesday, France’s interior ministry banned 10 unnamed far-right activists linked to Raise the Colours for “having carried out actions on French soil.” Yet Raise the Colours claims it has 22,000 supporters to help stop boats in northern France. Even if far fewer actually travel there, it raises questions about how effective banning just 10 people will be, as the ban does not apply to others who might try the same thing.
So far, there’s no sign the ban has broadly deterred the far right from harassing asylum seekers in northern France. Tenconi, who rose quickly to lead UKIP, is also chief operating officer at Turning Point UK, the British branch of the U.S. organization founded by Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last year.
Alongside Raise the Colours’ “Operation Overlord,” UKIP has set up a “border protection mission.” Under this banner, Tenconi was filmed in France last June wearing black boots and gloves, shouting “fuck you” at asylum seekers. During another visit last year, he and associates shone torches in the faces of asylum seekers sleeping outside, chanting “you shall not pass.” Footage shows the asylum seekers looking startled and fearful.
There’s no evidence these visits deter people from coming to the UK. Over 41,000 crossed the Channel in 2025, the second-highest annual figure since 2018. Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said: “The vile harassment and threatening behaviour of these far-right actors is appalling, but let’s be clear, they’re achieving nothing other than gathering social media views.” Currently, there’s no absolute ban on far-right activists traveling to France to intimidate asylum seekers, and the UK Home Office has declined to comment on whether any action is being taken against those who have done so.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This government is bearing down on small boat crossings. We have stopped 40,000 crossing attempts since this Government came into office through our joint work with the French. We have detained and removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally. Our pilot deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.”
So far in 2026, 520 people have crossed in nine boats—a significant number despite poor weather, likely to rise as conditions improve. Now that Thomas has split from Raise the Colours and continues Operation Overlord under different management, a new rivalry on the UK far right may only increase headaches for the French government.
UKIP’s crowdfunder for its “border protection force” is still receiving donations, while Thomas promises to deploy small teams to various locations in France on January 24. In a rambling video, he states of the French government: “Clearly we have rattled them very, very severely.” He adds, “We are going to send people into France to patrol the beaches 24/7.”France by air, land, and sea. They will be told where to go.
Meanwhile, the rebranded operation “Raise the Colours” in northern France claims to have military and data experts helping it “to successfully assemble the largest pushback ever seen by ordinary people.” The group adds, “This is an organized mission that will continue until we achieve the final result of stopping the boats.”
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs FarRight Harassment of Asylum Seekers in Northern France
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What does Theyre emboldened mean in this context
It means farright activists from Britain feel more confident supported and less restrained in their actions Recent political rhetoric perceived lack of consequences or growing public attention to immigration may be encouraging them to act more openly and aggressively
2 Who are the farright activists mentioned
They are individuals or members of groups with extreme nationalist antiimmigration and often xenophobic beliefs They are traveling from the UK to northern France specifically to target asylum seekers and migrant camps
3 Who are the asylum seekers in northern France
They are people who have fled their home countries due to war persecution or violence and are seeking international protection Many are hoping to reach the UK to claim asylum and are living in temporary often precarious camps while they wait
4 What kind of harassment is happening
Reports include intimidation verbal abuse filming individuals without consent to post online attempting to destroy makeshift shelters and sometimes physical confrontations The goal is often to scare people and draw media attention
5 Why is this happening in northern France
Northern France especially around Calais and Dunkirk has been a major transit point for asylum seekers trying to reach the UK for decades Its proximity to Britain makes it a focal point for both migration routes and antimigration activism
Advanced Practical Questions
6 What is the connection to British politics
Analysts link this to heated UK political debates on immigration and stopping the boats Some activists believe they are enforcing UK border policy themselves Critics argue that certain political language demonizing migrants can legitimize such vigilantism
7 Arent the French police stopping this
French authorities do intervene but policing large often remote camp areas is challenging There are also legal complexities when activists are UK citizens Critics say more consistent and robust enforcement is needed to deter these campaigns
8 Whats the legal status of these activists actions
Their actions may violate French laws against harassment incitement to hatred or violence If they are UK citizens they could face legal consequences in France and potentially upon return to Britain depending on the severity of their actions
