France: Macron gov’t, soldiers clash over ‘civil war’ warning

Some military members claim French president has made concessions to ‘Islamism’ as they vow to ‘maintain order’ if war breaks out.

The government of French President Emmanuel Macron has reacted with fury after a group of serving French soldiers published an open letter warning that “civil war” was brewing over his “concessions” to “Islamism”, weeks after a similar message from elements in the military rocked the elite. The letter, posted on the website of the right-wing Valeurs Actuelles magazine late Sunday, echoes the one published by the same publication last month but appears to have been written by an unknown number of younger troops still in active service. Interior minister Gerald Darmanin, a close ally of Macron, on Monday accused the anonymous signatories of the second letter of lacking “courage” while defence minister Florence Parly dismissed it as part of a “crude political scheme”.