An open letter signed by 1 000 French soldiers, including retired servicemen and active-duty personnel, has warned that France is headed for ‘civil war’.
The signatories blamed what they called ‘fanatic partisans’ for creating tensions between communities, and also claimed that Islamists were taking over parts of the country’s territory.
The letter was published in a right-wing magazine last week, on the anniversary of a failed coup. (In April 1961 French generals had attempted to force then-President Charles de Gaulle, to not give Algeria independence. At the time, Algeria had a large population of French people, or people descended from French settlers.)
This letter claimed that France was in ‘peril’ and said there were several dangers facing France, including ‘Islamism’.
The letter, also signed by 20 retired generals, said: ‘It is no longer the time to procrastinate, otherwise tomorrow civil war will put an end to this growing chaos and deaths – for which you will be responsible – with numbers in the thousands.’
The missive was condemned by French government officials, with the minister of the armed forces, Florence Parly, warning the signatories they could fall foul of a law which requires soldiers to be politically neutral.
The letter was welcomed by right-wing politician, Marine le Pen, who said people should join her in ‘the battle for France’.
Le Pen is French President Emmanuel Macron’s primary opponent for presidential elections scheduled for next year, with polls showing a tight race between the two.
There has been growing concern in recent years in France over increasing Islamic militancy, with the French government looking at ways of preventing the radicalisation of young Muslim men.
Image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay