French activist and online commentator Thaïs d’Escufon says she could face prison for saying immigration is the number one threat to French women. In an X video posted on her page, she argues that her case demonstrates the shrinking space for free expression in France.
The case stems from statements she made on BFM TV in 2023, during a discussion about a rape involving an illegal immigrant. d’Escufon, who was herself the victim of a home invasion and sexual assault two years earlier at the hands of a Tunisian migrant, said during the segment that “The main danger for women is immigrant men, Africans, blacks, and Arabs.”
DILCRAH (the Interministerial Delegation to Fight Against Racism, Antisemitism, and Anti-LGBT Hate) filed a complaint after that TV appearance, leading to prosecution.
The Tribunal Judiciaire (criminal court) of Paris has scheduled the announcement of the verdict for Thursday, June 18. Prosecutors have requested a sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros for “incitement to racial hatred.”
According to d’Escufon, one of the central reasons she has become a target of legal action is her outspoken criticism of immigration. Referring to a media clip at the center of the controversy, she stated that “the main danger for women in France is men” and specifically “immigrant men.” She argues that expressing such views has brought years of legal, social, and financial consequences.
Speaking about her experience, d’Escufon described her six years of activism as marked by media controversy, account suspensions, legal proceedings, and what she sees as systematic efforts to silence dissenting opinions. “Freedom of expression doesn’t exist,” she said.
D’Escufon says her public profile grew significantly after she became a spokesperson for the anti-immigration Génération Identitaire (GI) movement and began appearing in television debates and media interviews. GI was dissolved by President Macron in 2021, a decision confirmed by the Council of State (France’s highest administrative court), with the justification that it constituted a threat to public order, provoked hatred and discrimination, and undermined republican values and public safety.
As a young female activist speaking on immigration and national identity, she quickly attracted national attention. That attention, she claims, was followed by a wave of censorship. Social media platforms repeatedly suspended her accounts, eventually removing her from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other mainstream networks.
D’Escufon said multiple banks also refused to provide her with banking services, without giving any clear explanations. During one attempt to open an account, she says a warning message concerning her public profile appeared on a bank employee’s computer screen, leading her to believe that her political activism had made her effectively blacklisted.
In addition to social media bans and banking difficulties, d’Escufon says she has faced several legal proceedings because of her political statements. She has already received a six-month suspended prison sentence and a €3,000 fine in one case, while continuing to pursue appeals through the courts.
Throughout her testimony, she argues that the pressure placed upon her is not merely political disagreement but a broader effort to isolate critics of immigration. “They are trying to kill us socially and economically,” she said.
