Sleepless Night: The prosecutor's office closes the Civitas case without further action

Six members of the Civitas group, arrested Saturday evening in Paris, have been released without charge. These activists from the dissolved Catholic fundamentalist movement had disrupted an art installation organized as part of the Nuit Blanche festival at the Saint-Laurent church. The Paris prosecutor's office decided to close the case, concluding that no offense had been sufficiently established to justify criminal prosecution.

An intervention during Nuit Blanche

The police intervention took place at a church in the 10th arrondissement, where an artistic performance was being held as part of the official program of the annual cultural event. Activists had protested against the event, deeming it incompatible with the religious nature of the church. Their action led to an immediate arrest, before the investigation concluded that there was no solid legal basis for the incident.

A dissolved group that is still active

This decision by the prosecutor's office comes several months after the administrative dissolution of Civitas, ordered by the government due to the movement's radical positions. Despite this ban, sympathizers continue to act in the name of this fundamentalist movement, as illustrated by this Parisian episode. The dismissal of the case raises questions about the legal means available to sanction the actions of officially dissolved groups.