The foreign legion would be particularly affected.

(illustration) -

THOMAS COEX / AFP

About fifty French soldiers openly displaying neo-Nazi convictions: Mediapart published on Tuesday a documented investigation raising these abuses within the armies, which the ministry considers "very serious" while ensuring that "no ideology contrary to the values ​​of the Republic" is tolerated ”in its ranks.

Messages on social networks in praise of the Waffen-SS or Francoism, photos in front of flags crossed out with the swastika, videos of children encouraged to perform the Hitler salute… The online media has collected many traces left on the site. net by "about fifty new cases of neo-Nazi soldiers", in particular in the Foreign Legion, and questions the severity of the sanctions pronounced against them in the event of proven fault.

"Thorough analysis"

"The elements raised by the investigation of Médiapart are very serious and have been the subject of a careful analysis", reacted the Ministry of the Armed Forces, stressing that "all the harmful ideologies, nauseating, revisionists, extremists, are proscribed in the armies ”and that there is“ no tolerance ”for these facts.

"But, as the Minister of the Armed Forces (Florence Parly, editor's note) had the opportunity to say, we must of course remain humble because no detection device is infallible", adds the ministry, which wishes to put the dozens of cases identified by Mediapart in the ranks of the armies which number 210,000 soldiers.

Assuring to have already "heavily sanctioned" seven neo-Nazi soldiers mentioned by a first investigation of Mediapart in July 2020, the ministry affirms that "the few profiles revealed (by the newspaper) and which are still in activity will be heavily sanctioned", stressing also that “a dozen” of the soldiers pointed out by the online media in its last article “are no longer linked to the armies”.

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