A French General Is in Trouble for Going to a Banned Anti-Migrant Protest

A few protesters gathered Monday outside the court in Boulogne-sur-Mer, a port city in the northeast of France. Waving French flags, the demonstrators were there to show their support for Christian Piquemal, a retired army general who has developed in his golden years a bit of a taste for "patriotic" rallies — even in this case a banned one, called by a far-right group, where people made the Nazi salute.

But these days, demonstrating in France is not without risk, as the country continues to ban certain protests as part of the national state of emergency. Today, marching in the streets could mean marching straight into jail.

Piquemal, who took part in a small anti-migrant rally in Calais over the weekend, was due to appear in court for flaunting a public ban on the march. The retired, 75-year old general — who faces a one-year prison sentence and a 15,000-euro ($16,740) fine — was too unwell to attend the hearing.

According to his attorney, the court postponed the hearing until May 12. Four other defendants were scheduled to appear before the court Monday for "the illegal carrying of weapons." The men reportedly showed up to the protest — which was called by German far-right movement PEGIDA — carrying brass knuckles, a Taser and a box-cutter.

On Saturday, Piquemal joined nearly a hundred people outside the train station in Calais, to protest against the presence of migrants in the city. Several thousand migrants are currently living  there in a makeshift camp known as "The Jungle" on the outskirts of the city.

Une centaine de nationalistes manifestent à Calais malgré l'interdiction et la demande des policiers de se disperser — Hugo Clément (@hugoclement)February 6, 2016

The protest was banned Wednesday by France's Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, amid fears of "disturbances to the public order." But the 40-year army vet decided to ignore the minister's injunction, instead publishing on his personal blog a call to protest.

Piquemal, who described the ban as "abusive and arbitrary," urged "all Patriots and patriotic groups to join us." Piquemal, who is also the president of a small movement called "Citoyens-Patriotes" (Patriot-Citizens), has been portrayed in the media as the unofficial organizer of Saturday's protest.

"The general didn't show up in Calais just to be an extra," Boulogne-sur-Mer Prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi told AFP, following Piquemal's arrest.

After making a few Nazi salutes and chanting, "This is our home!" the angry crowd was eventually dispersed by police officers who arrested Piquemal and charged him with ignoring a summons to disperse.

Video of the general's arrest via Ruptly TV

Shortly before his arrest, Piquemal told reporters from right-leaning news site Boulevard Voltaire that protesters had been treated like "cannibals." He warned that France would "stand up" and said that, "things will happen in the coming months."

In a 2010 interview with French traditionalist daily Présent, Piquemal laid out his vision of everything that was wrong with France, saying it was "a country in decline." The newspaper covered news of Piquemal's arrest under the headline: "Thank you, my General!"

"France as we know it is losing its soul and identity," said Piquemal, "a multicultural, multiracial, mixed country can only be those things if the people who make up France since its origins do not become a minority."

In France, it is highly unusual for military officers to take part in protests, since serving members of the military are beholden to certain behaviors imposed by their status. Serving members of the military, for example, are not allowed to join unions or parties, or to publicly express their religious or political beliefs.

According to French army expert Sébastien Jakubowski, a sociologist who lectured at the ESPE university in Lille, Piquemal is not bound by the "duty of confidentiality" since he has retired from active service. "He can say whatever he wants," Jakubowski told VICE News.

"You often see generals speak out once they have retired — writing their memoirs or publishing opinion pieces," the expert added.

Jakubowski did, however, concede that most high-ranking officers, whether serving or retired, tend to "speak out about military questions, but not about social issues, as was the case Saturday in Calais."

Before rubbing shoulders with the far-right and taking part in anti-migrant rallies, Piquemal served for 40 years in the French army. After graduating from France's prestigious Saint-Cyr military academy and gaining a degree in nuclear engineering, Piquemal joined the paratroopers, working his way up through the ranks.

In the early 90s, the general joined the military staffs of three socialist prime ministers: Michel Rocard, Édith Cresson and Pierre Bérégovoy.

At the peak of his career, Piquemal took over the reins of the Foreign Legion, a branch of the army that also recruits foreign soldiers, and whose motto is "the Legion is our homeland." He served as commander of the legion from 1994 to 1999, when he was promoted to the rank of General.

From 2004 to 2014, he served as president of the National Paratroopers' Union from 2004 to 2014. Piquemal was decorated several times throughout his career, earning the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit, in 1996. In 1999, he was made commander of the National Order of Merit.

Several French politicians on the right and far right have expressed their outrage over Piquemal's arrest. Robert Ménard, the mayor of the southern town of Béziers, leapt to the general's defense, tweeting: "Illegals roaming free, French general arrested, welcome to Hollandia #Piquemal."

Marion Maréchal Le Pen, the National Front deputy for the southern Vaucluse department, also voiced her support, condemning the general's "unfair and brutal" arrest. Her sentiments were echoed by FN deputy Gilbert Collard, who said the arrest made patriotism an offense.

Members of the French Republican party, including deputy Thierry Mariani and party spokesman Guillaume Peltier, also sent out public messages of support to the general.

Follow Pierre Longeray on Twitter: @PLongeray

Additional reporting by Pierre-Louis Caron: @pierrelouis_c

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This article originally appeared on VICE News' French edition.