The philosopher behind the ‘Great Replacement’ theory—that Europe’s indigenous populations are being displaced by migrants—has been banned from entering Britain. The Home Office ruled that 78-year-old Renaud Camus’ presence would go against “the public good.”
Camus hit back against the UK government, which has been softer on far more serious threats, telling The Daily Telegraph that “of all the European governments guilty” of allowing unchecked migration, “the British government is one of the guiltiest.”
No wonder it does not want me to speak.
Michael Deacon, who is a columnist for the paper, argued that if criticising mass immigration can result in you being barred from Britain, then free speech is dead. He also asked the important question of what the decision means for British citizens who agree with Camus’ theory:
Does this mean that the presence of these British people is not conducive to the public good, either? If so, what do our authorities propose to do with them? Should those British people be banned from Britain, too?
Sam Bidwell of the Adam Smith Institute also criticised the state for being inconsistent with who it lets into the country, having previously welcomed a Muslim cleric banned from preaching in Pakistan due to extremist rhetoric, as well as Zimbabwean cleric Ismail Menk, who has described homosexuals as “worse than animals.”
The Home Office has barred Renaud Camus, a controversial French philosopher, from entering the UK.
— Sam Bidwell (@sam_bidwell) April 19, 2025
They claim that his presence is "not conducive to the public good".
But is that a consistent standard? Let's look at some of the people that they've allowed to come to the UK: pic.twitter.com/IN8tuMQkQW
Others have drawn notice to the fact that while Camus is no longer allowed to enter the UK, the government continues to do effectively nothing about the arrival, most days, of hundreds—and sometimes more than 1,000—of illegal migrants.
Camus, who was set to speak about immigration at an event later this month, is now planning to appeal the ban.