Civitas
Civitas presents itself as a Christian lobby group and social movement that aims at “rechristianizing Europe”.
Civitas organises street protests on issues such as gay marriage, but due to its very extreme background does not find itself within ‘mainstream’ Conservative or Catholic opinion in France. They are criticised for their fundamentalist interpretation of the Catholic doctrine (they are linked to the SSPX society that was excommunicated in 1988), for their links with the far-right Belgian Front National and for violences against feminists that happened during one of their protest (1).
Persons involved:
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Alain Escada: President.
Escada has a long history of association with extreme-right-wing organisations such as the Belgian National Front. Organises protests against pieces of art or theater pieces deemed blasphematory. He created and led from 1995 to 2002 the magazine “Polémique-info” described by a Brussels tribunal as being “indisputably accointed with fascism in its stricter sense” (2)
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Links with other organisations: According to the newspaper Slate, they are linked with SSPX (Shadow of St Pius) (3) and with the Belgian Front National.
Key statement: “Marriage has always been regarded by the common sense of mankind as a religious state (….) Civil marriages cannot be seen as progress or as a formula for the future of the family.”
Legal existence: Registered as an association of general interest (5)
Financing: Public donations.
EU Accreditation: No.
Location: Argenteuil.
Contact: 17 rue des Chasseurs, Argenteuil 95100