Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, has a history of legal issues in France, including several convictions for incitement to racial hatred, France24 reports.
Kémi Seba, the pan-Africanist activist known for his provocative anti-Western views, has been detained in Paris, according to a source familiar with the case.
Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, has a history of legal issues in France, including several convictions for incitement to racial hatred, France24 reports.
He is a Pan-Africanist political leader, Beninese writer, and geopolitical journalist.
Although the reason for his arrest on Monday remains unclear, his controversial actions have often drawn public attention.
In March, the Essonne prefecture sought to prohibit a conference by Seba, who was already facing proceedings for deprivation of nationality—a move later suspended by an administrative court.
Following the attempt to ban his conference, Seba posted a video in which he burned what he claimed to be his French passport. The video, reported by L'Essor de la gendarmerie, added to his defiance against French authorities.
Kemi Seba is a former leader of the Tribu Ka, a group dissolved by the French government in 2006 for its alleged anti-Semitic views and advocacy for racial separation.
He now leads Urgences panafricanistes, an organisation with significant influence on social media.
Seba has also been involved in protests against the CFA franc, resulting in multiple arrests, expulsions, or refusals of entry in countries such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Guinea.
His actions continue to stir political tensions across Africa and Europe.
Last year, French Renaissance deputy Thomas Gassilloud accused Seba of "relaying Russian propaganda" and serving a "foreign power that feeds anti-French sentiment."