On April 21, 2018, several dozen members of the Generation Identitaire (Generation Identity) group marched to the Echelle pass on the French-Italian border and unrolled a fence of plastic netting in the snow.
They also displayed a sign reading: "You will not make Europe
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...home! NO WAY. Back to your homeland."
The group, which included Germans, Italians and Austrians as well as French activists, all wore blue padded jackets marked "Defend Europe" and were backed by two rented helicopters which scoured the area for
The stunt caused outrage in La Belle France, where the group was accused of vigilantism.
Reacting to the blockade, a group of around 100 pro-migrant activists escorted some 30
On Thursday, a court in the southeastern city of Gap sentenced the 24-year-old leader of Generation Identitaire, Clement Gandelin; his front man Romain Espino, 26; and 29-year-old activist Damien Lefevre to six-month jail terms for trying to pass themselves off as police.
They were also find 2,000 euros ($2,200) and stripped of certain rights, including the right to vote, for five years while their group was fined 75,000 euros.
The trio is unlikely to serve any jail time, as in La Belle France sentences shorter than two years are usually commuted to other types of punishment, such as community service.
Reacting defiantly on Twitter, Lefevre said he would wear what he called his "political" conviction like "a medal".
"The state has decided to persecute young French people who dare to symbolically and peacefully prove that defending our borders is possible," he wrote.
The winter of 2017-18 saw a spike in the number of
Shortly after its mountain foray, Generation Identitaire claimed to have handed over four "illegals" to police while providing information which led to the arrest of seven others that winter.
Pro-migrant groups reacted furiously after several activists who came to the assistance of
French politicians later softened laws on so-called acts of solidarity with illegal
Helping