About 1.000 between soldiers and former French soldiers (including 20 retired generals) signed one letter in the publication on the right Current Values. In the letter they warn of a potential civil war in the country's future.
The French government was quick to condemn the letter, reports the with the BBC. Service members are required by law to remain neutral on both politics and religion. And the letter from the French military and generals expresses very serious considerations on both issues.
Cruel accusations
The letter was published on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of a failed coup against De Gaulle (another signal) intended to prevent Algeria from achieving independence. Between the lines he accuses the country's Muslim population and points the finger at "a certain anti-racism" for the division of the community and the attack on French history.
An exit rejected and condemned by the French authorities.
The far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a candidate in next year's presidential election, has spoken out in support of the former generals. Of different opinion Florence Parly, the French minister of the armed forces, who condemned the incident, threatening measures. “For [those] who have violated the duty of confidentiality, there are sanctions, and if there are active soldiers among the signatories, I have asked the chief of staff of the armed forces to apply the rules”
The hour is serious, France is in danger [...] Today is no longer the time to procrastinate, otherwise tomorrow the civil war in France will put an end to this growing chaos and there will be deaths (for which you will be responsible) by the thousands.
from the text of the letter published on 21 April
Letter from soldiers and former generals: is it credible?
In a country that has many hundreds of former generals, the figure of just 20 signatories can give you a good night's sleep. But the fact that the letter has been published is a dangerous sign of the times, as noted with the BBC. And while the warnings (or threats?) of a “civil war” appear to be nothing more than xenophobia and vitriol disguised as patriotism, the existence of the letter and the list of signatories (especially the generals and high ranks of the army) provide another type of message.
To be precise, they suggest that there would be support in the French army today for a strong resurgence. Partly triggered by the various terrorist incidents that occurred in France, partly by something else. Fibrillation in the banlieues, for example, sometimes places of radicalization. The social discontent which recently resulted in a long organized revolt, that of the so-called. “yellow vests”. In an Islamophobic sentiment that could spiral out of control. Have the former generals who wrote the letter intercepted this sentiment and are aiming to avoid its effects? Do they foresee a near future, or do they predict it?
The democratic holding of several countries, first of all United States, is severely tested by social tensions and religious and racial conflicts, phenomena which have worsened further with the economic crisis and Covid.
