Prayer and the law of the jungle

They came in the night to spread fear. A group of activists, dispatched by Ukip – the British far-right party for independence from the United Kingdom – came from across the Channel a few weeks ago to attack migrants sleeping at a bus stop near Calais (Pas-de-Calais). Dressed in caps, t-shirts and black gloves, these violent activists tore off blankets and shone powerful flashlights into frightened faces. “You shall not pass!” they chant tirelessly in English.

The Utopia 56 association, contacted by one of the migrant victims of the events, was able to establish the link thanks to a video of the attack, proudly posted on the party’s social networks a few weeks later, and thus allow the opening of a judicial investigation. This attempt at intimidation on French soil is the second in a few months: at the beginning of June, the same group disrupted the distribution of aid from an association in broad daylight.

Such muscular operations are officially promoted on the Ukip website. “Let’s begin mass deportation,” it read. You can also contribute financially to the “Stop the Boats” campaign, or even join the “border protection team”. And if you don’t want to give your wallet or your person, it is possible to support the attacks on migrants through… prayer! Because Ukip, as a good populist party, distills a mixture of hatred of Islamists, rejection of Wokism and attachment to masculinity as much as to Christian values.

The understanding of the latter is enough to leave one wondering when we see these muscular men coming to attack people in situations of great distress. Recourse to the law of the strongest to try to resolve the complex problem of migrants is far from defending the greatness of a democratic country. On the contrary, it has all the appearance of a civilizational regression.