Paul Gaignet

**Paul Gaignet** (1913–1999) was a French activist, writer, and editor. People know him for his work in the Breton movement. This movement fights for rights in Brittany, a part of France. He became active in socialist politics after World War II.

## Early life

Paul Gaignet was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1913. But his family was from Rennes. He studied in Rennes. He joined the Breton National Party (BNP), a group for Breton rights, in 1931 when he was 18.

### Before World War II

Gaignet first joined the BNP. Then he left to join the Breton Federalist League. In 1938, he signed the _Manifeste fédéraliste breton_ using the pen name Per Goulven. He returned to the BNP and became an important member. In September 1940, Olier Mordrel made him head of the Ille-et-Vilaine section. He also became director of the party's publications.

He wrote many articles for _L’Heure bretonne_. He used different pen names. His topics were nationalist ideas, money matters, and social problems. He did not agree with working with Nazi Germany.

He also edited the monthly bulletin _An Hevoud_. There, he pushed for real-world activism. He criticized extreme or dreamy ideas. This included ideas from the secret group Gwenn ha Du (armed group).

### World War II

In 1943, Gaignet tried to stop the BNP’s activities. He did this because of its ties to the German occupiers. He left the party that year.

During the war, he helped with radio broadcasts from Germany. These were for people in North Africa. They were called Radio Brazzaville No. 2. After the Liberation of France, he was arrested and imprisoned in Fresnes and Clairvaux. In 1946, he was found not guilty. A U.S. embassy official said he had worked with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

## After the war

Gaignet moved to Paris and worked in planning cities. He stayed active in Breton culture and politics. He became leader of the Bleimor group in the Friends of the Scouts of Europe.

He helped create the _Club des Bonnets Rouges_ with Yves Person and Charles Josselin. In 1961, he joined the Movement for the Organization of Brittany (MOB). Later, he joined the Socialist Party.

He returned to Rennes after retirement. He died there in 1999.

## Ideas and writings

Gaignet believed in a form of Breton nationalism based on spirit and love for country. He called it a “moral duty”. He wanted a united Brittany. He spoke against control by outside economies.

He preferred education and spreading ideas over violence. He wrote under names like Per Goulven, Pierre Gautier, Gonidek, and Jean-François Le Balédic.

## Legacy

People remember Paul Gaignet as a person with mixed ideas in the Breton movement. He mixed nationalist ideas from the 1930s and 1940s with cultural and socialist activism after the war. His life shows problems in the Emsav (Breton movement) between working with enemies, fighting back, and finding a middle path.

## Further reading

- Georges Cadiou (2013). _Emsav, dictionnaire critique, historique et biographique_. Coop Breizh.
- Lionel Henry (2011). _Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement breton_. Yoran Embanner.
- Sébastien Carney (2015). _Breiz Atao ! Une mystique nationale (1901–1948)_. Presses Universitaires de Rennes.

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Paul Gaignet
- **image**: Paul_Gaignet.png
- **caption**: Paul Gaignet in 1942
- **birth date**: 1913
- **birth place**: Bordeaux, France
- **death date**: 1999
- **death place**: Rennes, Brittany, France
- **nationality**: French
- **occupation**: Activist, writer, editor, urban planner
- **known for**: Breton nationalism, socialist activism
- **party**: Breton National Party, BNP (1931–1943)
Movement for the Organization of Brittany, MOB (1961)
Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party (from 1969)