The youth wings of France’s far-right National Rally party (formerly Front National) and Italy’s League held a joint anti-immigration protest on Sunday on the border of the two countries in the French city of Menton, reports Radio France Internationale.
Dozens of young people attended the anti-immigration protest organised by Generation Nation and Youth League (Lega Giovani), the far-right youth groups of France’s National Rally and Italy’s League, respectively.
The organisers said they called the demonstration to oppose migrants “overwhelming” Europe and French President Emmanuel Macron’s immigration policy.
Generation Nation is the new name of the youth group formerly known as Front National Youth. The name change came in June, following party leader Marine Le Pen’s announcement to rebrand her far-right party from Front National to National Rally.
Jordan Bardella, the national director of Generation Nation, said at a press conference in Menton on Sunday that his group had reached out to Youth League “with the aim of making potential allies in France and abroad”.
Bardella said these alliances were being forged partly in anticipation of next year’s European Parliament elections, which he believes will be “a referendum for or against mass immigration” to Europe.
Youth League spokesman Davide Quadri said his group “wants to work together” with its French counterpart. “Our shared goal is to be in control of our home countries.”
Bardella said he supported Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini and his League party for “proving that it’s possible to say ‘no more’ to being submerged by migrants”.
Last month Salvini closed Italy’s ports to NGO migrant rescue ships for the duration of the summer, as part of his anti-immigrant platform. However, the Italian government softened its stance earlier this week after Brussels came forward with financial incentives.
On Tuesday, the European Commission proposed to provide funds to volunteering countries which set up and administer “controlled centres” to process asylum seekers on their territory. This would include paying countries 6,000 euros for every asylum seeker they host in these centres.