Former French Legion chief arrested at anti-migrant protest

French Police arrested a former commander of the French Foreign Legion at a banned anti-migrant rally in Calais. Gen Christian Piquemal, 75, was one of about 20 protesters in the French port taken into custody after addressing supporters of Pegida, a far-right group based in Germany. Piquemal was charged with “taking part in a gathering […]

French Police arrested a former commander of the French Foreign Legion at a banned anti-migrant rally in Calais.
Gen Christian Piquemal, 75, was one of about 20 protesters in the French port taken into custody after addressing supporters of Pegida, a far-right group based in Germany.
Piquemal was charged with “taking part in a gathering which did not disperse after warning”. Four other men were charged with carrying illegal weapons including a taser gun, knuckle dusters and a knife.
The five will appear in court today and face up to a year in prison if convicted.
Pegida, which is opposed to what it claims is the “Islamisation of the west” through immigration, called for several rallies around Europe this weekend, including in Birmingham.