The Green Party city leader even promoted the event on the internet. The interior minister initiated the disbanding of the group, which is pushing back against the announcement and expects an explanation from the government.

Many politicians were outraged by the demonstration on 21 January by the far-left anti-fascist group ‘Nantes revoltee’ (Rebel Nantes), which turned into blatant vandalism. The anti-state and anti-police demonstration, which drew hundreds of demonstrators, turned into a riot, with shop windows smashed, fires set and walls vandalised. Two people were arrested after the events.

Both government and opposition politicians condemned the events. The Socialist mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, issued a statement calling the aggressive behaviour of the demonstrators and the vandalism unacceptable, adding that the perpetrators must be punished.

? Dégradations en centre-ville : « Ce qui m’importe ce sont les résultats » pic.twitter.com/eDIbEqLqqN

— Johanna Rolland (@Johanna_Rolland) January 25, 2022

Speaking in parliament, local ruling party MP Valerie Oppelt reported that violent protesters had injured several people and threatened police officers. She called on the interior minister to disband the group ‘Nantes revoltee’, which had organised the unauthorised demonstration.

Dissolution du groupe „Nantes Révoltée” | @valerie_oppelt (LaREM) demande un engagement du Gvt sur la dissolution de cette structure, „suite á la manifestation d’une violence inouïe contre les habitants et commerçants de Nantes” #DirectAN #QAG pic.twitter.com/hBqZoG6LTy

— Assemblée nationale (@AssembleeNat) January 25, 2022

Word quickly spread on social media that the deputy mayor of Nantes, Green Party’s Tristan Riom, who on Twitter goes by the name Tristan Nantes, was not only aware of the demonstration, but also took part in it himself and promoted it online. Laurence Garnier, the Republican senator of Loire-Atlantique department, described it as shameful that the deputy mayor was parading „alongside antifas threatening our police officers with death and ransacking our city” and demanded an explanation from the mayor.

❌ Honte á @TristanNantes, adjoint de @Johanna_Rolland, qui défile aux côtés d’antifas menaçant de mort nos policiers et saccageant notre ville. Assez de cette gauche qui flirte avec les extrêmes et qui tue la France. Nous exigeons des explications de la Maire de #Nantes. pic.twitter.com/LXTOdQ8v9Z

— Laurence Garnier ن (@LGarnier44) January 21, 2022

The politician talked about the unrest on CNews. She said there is a kind of cynicism on the part representatives of the city have become complicit with the far left.

Il y a chez les Nantais une forme de colère mêlée aussi á une résiliation. Parce que la ville part á vau-l’eau depuis maintenant des années. Mais il y a aussi au-delá de l’indifférence, une forme de cynisme des élus en place qui se rendent complices des ultra-gauche. #securité pic.twitter.com/97RaXDmZTF

— Laurence Garnier ن (@LGarnier44) January 26, 2022

Conservative politician Pierre Desprez, a member of Eric Zemmour’s party, also deeply condemned the events. He wrote on Twitter that the only result of the antifascist group’s protest was damage to shops and violence against police.

Nantes, cette ville chère dans le cœur de nombreux de chez @MvtConservateur, face á l’obscurantisme des antifas, dont le seul aboutissement de la manifestation est la dégradation de biens (Zara, rue du Calvaire) et d’aller au contact avec violence contre les FDO. pic.twitter.com/d4ceDjZg4L

— Pierre Desprez (@DesprezDe) January 21, 2022

Jocelyn Gillet, the chairwoman of the board of the local socio-cultural centre ironically tweeted that the antifas had paraded peacefully while chanting “death to the state and the cops.”

? Á Nantes, les #Antifas défilent tranquillement en incitant á la « mort de l’Etat et des flics ».

Ce qui se passe encore une fois en plein centre-ville á ce soir est extrêmement grave. Soutien á nos policiers #Nantes #extremegauche pic.twitter.com/sh6JBInSMN

— Jocelyn.GILLET (@Veron_Jocelyn44) January 21, 2022

Gerald Darmanin also took notice of the events. He announced in parliament that he would initiate the dissolution of the extreme-leftist group.

J’ai décidé d’engager une procédure contradictoire á l’encontre du groupe d’extrême gauche « Nantes révoltée », en vue de sa dissolution. Les nombreux faits de violences constatés, les signalements répétés de nombreux élus, motivent cette action. pic.twitter.com/8OuiC19pDv

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) January 25, 2022

The group in question reacted to the news shortly. They wrote that they were looking forward to being informed of the reasons for the restriction on free expression. In another Twitter post they wrote that neo-fascist groups commit acts of violence every week with impunity, but those who resist are repressed. They added that Macron’s leadership was leading directly to fascism.

Les groupuscules identitaires et néofascistes agressent chaque semaine dans une indifférence et une impunité totale. Et celles et ceux qui résistent sont réprimés. Le macronisme est une autoroute vers le fascisme.

— Nantes Révoltée (@Nantes_Revoltee) January 26, 2022

The far-left group has launched a petition to show those in power that they are not alone and without support.

Pour apporter votre #SoutienNantesRévoltée vous pouvez signer cette pétition et montrer au pouvoir qu’on est pas tout seul !https://t.co/AHswRMcTfu

— Nantes Révoltée (@Nantes_Revoltee) January 25, 2022

According to the French weekly Marianne, the Nantes revoltee group has been active since 2012 and is regularly present at anti-fascist demonstrations in Nantes. They are active in both print and social media and have 200,000 followers on Facebook.