In an open letter published last week, high-ranking French officers urged “those who run the country” to “strictly apply existing laws” in order to avoid a “civil war” .. So what does that mean?
This question was posed by the French newspaper Le Parisien in response to it in order to clarify the circumstances of that letter in which he called for generals, hundreds of high-ranking officers, non-commissioned officers, and retired or dismissed soldiers who rule France to take action to confront the threat of a "civil war" in the country, denouncing the "sinful silence." To the government, and warning that the current societal "disintegration" might lure military personnel on duty to use weapons to address the situation.
This letter - which was published in a column in the newspaper Valeurs Actuelles - at the initiative of former officer Jean-Pierre Fabre-Bernadac, was published Wednesday April 21 under the title "For the return of the honor of our rulers: 20 generals demand Macron to defend the love of the homeland."
To shed light on this message and what it implies, Le Parisien answers the following four questions:
First / Who are the signatories to this column?
According to the newspaper, the two signatories are more than a thousand soldiers, including “twenty generals, a hundred senior officers and more than a thousand other soldiers,” headed by General Christian Bikmal, who was expelled from (military service) in 2016 after he organized an anti-immigrant demonstration in Calais.
She added that the full list of the two sites has not been published by the weekly newspaper, but is available on the Place d'Armes blog, which is "open to all retired soldiers, those currently in service, and reservists who love France and realize that this country is on the edge of the abyss," as stated in the blog. .
I mentioned that the sponsor of this blog is Jean-Pierre Fabre Bernadac, a former commander of the gendarmerie who is also the author of the current initiative, as mentioned above.
The number of signatories to this list is currently more than 1,200, and it is not known yet whether all of them are retired or among them who are currently in service. Le Parisien quoted a source in the Ministry of Armed Forces as saying, "We are monitoring" the situation, especially since new names were gradually added to Preliminary list.
Second / What does this message say?
The text depicts France as “in danger,” and its signatories denounce “the disintegration that strikes our homeland” through “certain anti-racism,” which would “(generate) a state of weakness on our land, and perhaps even lead to hatred among the components of the people." Regarding "Islamism and the legions of the suburbs," he called on the French leaders to "show the necessary courage to eliminate these dangers" by strictly applying "the laws already in place."
Third / What are the repercussions?
The Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, condemned what she called "the insult directed at thousands of soldiers" and promised yesterday - in a press statement - that if soldiers are discovered currently serving on the list of signatories, "punitive measures will be taken against them," which contradicts, according to Le Parisien, with her initial statement about This letter, in which it denounced a "irresponsible" pamphlet, but affirmed that it was "signed only by retired soldiers who no longer have any job in our armies and only represent themselves."
Fourth / threat of a coup or a shot in the dark?
The newspaper says that what was stated in the column does not hide the hypothesis of the coup and “if nothing is done, inaction will continue to spread rapidly within society, which will ultimately lead to an explosion and the intervention of our comrades on duty to carry out the risky task of protecting our cultural values. And the protection of our citizens, on the national soil, "according to the aforementioned message.
Le Parisien commented by saying, "We have not yet ascertained whether this message was limited to out of service soldiers only, or did it include some of those currently in service?"
What is certain, according to the newspaper, is that this column is of particular importance because of the nature of those who signed it, "as they are people accustomed to silence and respect for the duty of caution."