An extreme right-wing news outlet on a social media platform known for encrypted communications claims a new nationalist group of francophone Canadians and French citizens joined the siege on the U.S. Capitol and promises to “defend America” on inauguration day, when President Donald Trump is to leave office.
A purported spokesman claimed about 30 people associated with the Légion Lafayette, which is comprised of “French and Quebecois, living in Canada and the United States,” were at the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol building and would be present at inauguration events.
Further, he claimed: “We are in the process of organizing ourselves with our Canadian friends to allow, if the need arises, to be able to receive volunteers and European tourists, in the USA, via Canada.” He didn’t say how that might work during COVID-19 travel restrictions.
He declined to say if members of his group entered the Capitol nor did he specify what type of action they support, but its posters declare they are “fighting for American freedom” and will “defend America” on inauguration day, Wednesday, in opposition to Joe Biden being sworn in as the 46th U.S. president.
The lengthy interview was posted on Gallia Daily, an online channel on Telegram. Gallia describes itself as a non-partisan platform for news from France in English, but its content is dominated by immigration worries, complaints about diversity, stories of crimes committed by Muslims and people of colour, and pandemic lockdown concerns.
The interview with the Légion Lafayette was flagged as extremist content by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which tracks and documents extremist and terrorist communications.
The interview was posted Jan. 13. Subsequent posts distributed posters and memes. The Légion Lafayette logo, perhaps in some jest, is an eagle with a crest bearing a baguette.
It is unknown how accurate the claims are, if at all.
A Domestic Terrorism Threat Monitor analyst who prepared the MEMRI report said it should not be casually dismissed.
“It would not be accurate to dismiss this as merely fantasy. They are real and should be taken seriously,” the analyst said, through MEMRI’s deputy director, Elliot Zweig.
“It is not a previously known organization. They do not seem to have centralized power. They claim to have former French policemen and military amongst them. It was not clear who named it, although the symbolical meaning is clear.”
The name Légion Lafayette stems from French aid during the American Revolutionary War, presumably a reference to Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer who fought with the revolutionaries against the British.
“I’ve never heard of this group but considering how eclectic the groups involved on Jan. 6 were, this is not surprising,” said Amarnath Amarasingam, assistant professor at Queen’s University school of religion who is a specialist on terrorism, extremism and diaspora politics.
“It’s not clear whether they should be taken seriously or not, but I would be careful overreacting to every random Telegram post. On the far-right side, there is a lot of trolling and false information sent out to create polarization,” he said.
Even someone sharing the interview on the Gallia channel also wondered, saying: “Is this plausible? Probably exaggerated. But it’s matching the changing French political landscape.”
The site itself added a note: “If you are a law enforcement agency or a media outlet, do not contact us: we have no more information than what is published here.”
The article purports to interview a French national going by the name Pierre who said he has been working in the United States with his family for several years.
He said for the past year, an informal group of French immigrants to America and francophone Canadians has become politically active. Although “group” might be a strong word: “It’s just a kind of informal spider’s web of people who know each other to varying degrees,” he is quoted as saying.
He claimed they are about 800 to 1,000 people, who were radicalized by the Black Lives Matter protests. “During the BLM demonstrations, we saw black and far-left demonstrators attacking historical symbols and even French symbols in America, such as the statue of Saint-Louis.”
They grew further concerned over restrictions imposed during the “pseudo-pandemic,” he said. He then outlined the standard complaints of white nationalist ideology.
A melange of hate groups and provocateurs have been agitating in opposition to the transition of power from Trump to Biden, despite Biden’s electoral victory, instead calling for protest, insurrection and civil war.
A heavy military and police presence has been deployed in Washington, D.C., for security.
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