Located at “8 Rue des Arts” in Lille, the bar “La Citadelle” is known to be an identity bar, seat of the extreme right in Lille. There, between two orders of beer, the debates on immigration and communitarianism had become daily… but it was the outbursts and the violence that finally led to its closure.
Add to this the recent announcement of the organization of a new evening called: “Let them return to Africa” and Martine Aubry, who had the establishment in her sights for several years, hastened to ask for the closure immediately from the bar. “Once again, Génération Identitaire and the bar + La Citadelle + are organizing a racist evening” she said on Twitter. Gérald Darmanin then announced in the wake of having “asked the prefect of the North to ban this demonstration […] directly inciting racial hatred”.“Let them return to live in the land of Islam!”
This Wednesday, February 15, 2023, Aurélien Verhassel, leader of a small group Generation Identity and owner of the bar, was invited on the set of “Touche pas à mon poste”. After trying to make it clear that he has nothing against immigrants with French nationality and that he simply has a problem against “scum”, the man was questioned by the columnists.
“What do you want to do with the Muslims who are in France? They are French citizens above all…” thus asked Valérie Benaïm with anger and amazement. To which Aurélien Verhassel replied: “They stay in France, I am talking about illegal immigrants, people who have nothing to do on our territory. […] The problem is that one moment, it is the weight of the demography of the Moslems which will make rocker. So what I want is for them to return home in peace. Let them return to live in the land of Islam!”
Determined to make his point heard, he then added: “It’s a question of numbers, we can integrate individuals but we cannot integrate whole peoples…”
“Is there a lot of diversity?” After months of controversy, a far-right bar in Lille closes. The face-to-face with the owner in #TPMP ! pic.twitter.com/zoHJzIPbYe
— TPMP (@TPMP) February 15, 2023
ES