French soldiers issue second open letter to the government, criticize retreating Islamism

A second open letter from members of the French armed forces appeared on the website of the French ultraconservative weekly Valeurs Actuelles on Sunday evening. According to the authors of the letter, the government is giving way to Islamism too much and does not have enough respect for veterans. They are calling on it to take action because according to them, today's France is heading for a collapse and is a harbinger of chaos and violence. Unlike the first letter, this was written by soldiers in active service and is not signed under it. The anonymity of the document and its content were condemned by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, who writes the newspaper Le Monde.

The authors of the open letter describe themselves as soldiers who joined the army only recently. Although we cannot speak openly because of respecting the rules, we cannot remain silent, the statement said.

The letter recalls the fighting in Afghanistan, Mali, and the Central African Republic and fallen comrades who put on their skin to destroy Islamism, which you are giving way to at home.

In less than a day after its publication, it was signed by over 150,000 people, and the text of the call was read by over 1.7 million readers.

Leftist politicians were disturbed by the open letter, while part of the right supported it, writes AFP. They are anonymous people. Is this courage? Minister Darmanin asked on BFM TV. The authors of the letter accused them of doing politics because regional and presidential elections are approaching.

The leadership of the French army also distanced itself from the challenge, emphasizing that the army must remain apolitical, as this is one of the pillars of its strength and credibility. Soldiers must be absolutely loyal to the elected president, and if they are unable to do so, they should leave the military, the AFP general staff quoted as saying.

Valeurs Actuelles published the first open letter from two dozen retired generals and dozens of other officers to the president and government on Wednesday, April 21. In it, soldiers called for the defense of the values ​​of civilization and warned against Islamism, the disintegration of France, and the civil war. The letter was supported by far-right politician Marine Le Pen, condemned by Prime Minister Jean Castex.