French authorities have expelled five British men accused of harassing migrants along the country’s northern coast and banned them from entering two coastal departments for six months.
The men, aged between 30 and 46, were arrested on October 29 near the northern Channel port of Dunkirk while livestreaming footage online. French authorities described them as members of an ultra-right movement.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the five men were found carrying tear gas, pepper spray canisters, a stick and a baton. The items are prohibited under French law.
A judge imposed a six-month entry ban covering the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments. Each man was also ordered to pay €500 to a victims’ support association.
The group had reportedly been travelling around the region in a bus they nicknamed the “battle bus”, according to British broadcaster Sky News.
A humanitarian organisation accused the men of committing acts of violence against undocumented migrants. However, prosecutor Charlotte Huet said investigators had not found sufficient evidence to establish violent offences.
Despite the lack of evidence to establish those offences, all five men were expelled from French territory on Sunday, November 1, a regional prefecture official confirmed to AFP.
The latest expulsions come amid growing concerns over the presence of British far-right activists and self-described vigilantes along France’s northern coast, where thousands of migrants attempt to cross the English Channel to reach the United Kingdom.
In January 2026, two British nationals suspected of travelling to France to participate in a prohibited anti-migrant demonstration in Calais were arrested and deported.
In another incident that month, ten additional British far-right activists were banned from entering France following allegations of violence against migrants along the French coast, according to Radio France Internationale (RFI).
Responding to the incidents, the regional prefecture said the French state would not tolerate actions that encourage hatred and violence, regardless of who was responsible.
The developments come as Channel crossings to the UK resumed after a break of nearly three weeks caused by stormy weather. On Saturday, the British government announced that approximately 1,000 migrants had crossed the Channel in just two days as calmer conditions returned.
The repeated expulsions highlight growing tensions surrounding anti-migrant activism along the French coast, where humanitarian organisations continue to raise concerns about the safety and treatment of people attempting to reach the UK.