Twenty retired generals and scores of ex-officers have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to stop the country from descending into chaos and “civil war” at the hands of Islamists.
Led by Jean-Pierre Fabre-Bernadac, a retired Gendarmerie general, and signed by 80 other retired officers, the open letter to Mr Macron was published in Valeurs Actuelles, a news magazine, last week.
The message was dismissed by Mr Macron’s government as a diatribe from a bunch of military pensioners who “only represent themselves” however strongly supported by Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally and presidential candidate for the French elections.
The appeal has gained global attention just days after a female police employee had her throat slashed by an Islamist who had entered France illegally from Tunisia before eventually being granted residency.
It also comes a year before the French presidential elections, key points for voters are expected to be security and immigration.
“France is in danger. Several mortal perils are threatening her,” the generals wrote.
The letter continued: “Even in retirement, we remain soldiers of France and cannot in the current circumstances remain indifferent to the fate of our beautiful country.”
Under the influence of Left-wing rule France was “disintegrating with the Islamists of the hordes of the banlieue [suburbs] who are detaching swathes of the nation and turning them into territory subject to dogmas contrary to our constitution,” they warned.
Failure to act now could see “an explosion and then intervention by our comrades on active service in the dangerous mission of protecting our civilised values and the safety of our compatriots”.
“There is no time to waffle, or tomorrow civil war will put an end to this growing chaos and the dead, for whom you will bear responsibility, will be counted in the thousands.”
Without citing any political figures, the generals said that they were “ready to support politicians who take into account the safety of the nation”.
French President Macron has come under an increasing barrage of criticism for his perceived “lax” approach to immigration and security in recent days.
Polling suggests 65 per cent of the French public do not think his government has a handle on crime.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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