An open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron caused an uproar of military interference. The picture shows Macron and a visit to the training center of the 4th foot soldier company in France.
On April 14, an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, signed by more than 20 retired generals, 100 high-ranking officers and more than 1,000 military personnel, has been posted online warning that if the government continues to do nothing about the current social chaos in France, such as anti-racism and Islamism, they will not be able to be passive observers. They will actively intervene and France could “erupt into civil war” and lead to “thousands of deaths”.
While the threat of a military coup by the military was denounced as a violation of military neutrality by everyone from the defense minister to the chief of staff of the three armies, nearly two-thirds of the French public agreed with them on the social disorder in France.
In an open letter titled “May the glory return to the government,” the public strongly condemned the current chaos in French society, anti-racism, Islamism, “the dangers that are dismantling the Republic, the time is short, the work is difficult, France is in danger, these deadly dangers are threatening These deadly dangers are threatening her”.
Therefore, “those who lead our country must urgently find the necessary courage to eliminate these dangers”, they denounced the inaction of the Macron government on the current situation and threatened to take measures to protect the country themselves if the government remains indifferent: “If nothing is done , laxity will continue to spread inexorably in society, eventually leading to an explosion, and our active comrades will step in to the dangerous task of protecting our civilized values and protecting our compatriots on the national territory.”
The open letter, published by the rightist magazine Valeurs Actuelles, which issued a series of instructions to President Macron’s government, warned that the government must defend civilized values, defend patriotism against “suburban tribes” and should be more determined to obey the law to avoid a French civil war. The letter says: “It is no longer time to delay or the civil war will end tomorrow in this growing chaos, when the deaths of thousands of people will be your responsibility.”
The open letter said, “The danger is growing and the violence is increasing day by day. Ten years ago, who would have predicted that a teacher would one day be decapitated outside his school?” As servants of the state, they are always ready to be tested and cannot be passive bystanders to such actions. “Even after retirement, we remain soldiers of France, and in the present circumstances we cannot distance ourselves from the destiny of our great country,” emphasize the participants in the joint letter.
In response to the open letter’s statement that “like us, most of our compatriots are tired of your vacillation and guilty silence,” the LCI poll shows that, indeed, the vast majority of French people share the views expressed by former military figures about a French society that is disintegrating (73 percent) or a kind of anti-racism that generates hatred between communities (74 percent), and 58 percent of French people say they support these military figures, especially 71 percent of Republicans (LR) and 86 percent of far-right National Alliance (RN) supporters on the right.
The poll also noted that 49 percent of French people believe the Army should intervene without having to be ordered to do so in order to ensure order and security in France. Jérôme Fourquet, a political scientist, noted that doing so without an order is called a military coup. The soldiers’ letters expressed a trial of mistrust in the face of an administration that the French public believed had failed to act, a feeling that the French soul was wandering around, and a fear of displacement.
Eric Deroo, an expert in military history, thought the affair could be traced back to the myth of last resort when the country was in crisis, a last resort. This is a French peculiarity, part of a long political history, from Napoleon to General Charles de Gaulle to General Georges Ernest Boulanger and Philippe Pétain of the Third Republic, whenever the situation deteriorated, the French wanted to call a general Whenever the situation deteriorated, the French wanted to call a general to participate in political activities, because he was a non-political person. He believes that this letter is a hidden undercurrent, with about 40% of the military, gendarmerie and police voting for the far right in the first round of elections in 2017.
François Lecointre, the chief of staff of the three armies, said the letter calling for intervention alarmed him because the army’s neutrality is crucial. Defense Minister Florence Parly noted that it was politicizing the military and was irresponsible, stressing, “To what call does the military respond? It’s answering the call of the nation.” For service members who violate their neutrality obligations, there are sanctions (in the law), and if any of the signatories are active duty, she has asked the chief of staff to adopt the rules that apply to military status provisions, which are sanctions. Sanctions are also possible for retired military signatories who are also bound by the obligation of neutrality.
The French public, for its part, rejects the Minister of Defense’s decision to punish, with only 36 percent supporting punishing active-duty soldiers and 26 percent supporting punishing retirees, according to a Harop/Ifop poll. Participants in the coalition also responded that some politicians and the government mock them, “despise, insult us, today the state treats us mercilessly, while wanting to punish some of our comrades, fortunately we have the French people as allies.”
Marine Le Pen of the National Union said she strongly agrees with the letter’s views on lawless regions, crime, self-hatred and our leaders’ rejection of patriotism and shares their grief, but she believes that these problems can only be solved by politics and therefore called on the co-signers to join forces with her party in the 2022 presidential elections.
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