Rarely had La Grande muette been so talked about… Less than three weeks after the controversial publication of a first forum of retired military personnel, most of them denouncing the “disintegration” of France and saying they were ready to “support the policies” that would work on the other hand, the weekly Current Values published on Sunday 9 May in the evening a new, anonymous forum of active soldiers. This time, no threat, barely disguised, of armed "intervention", but indignation at the sanctions promised by the government against the signatories of the first platform and the idea that "if a civil war breaks out, the 'army will maintain order on its own soil, because it is asked to do so ”.
"What is the proof that they are really soldiers?" "Asks himself in an interview with the Parisian - Today in France Prime Minister Jean Castex, who sees in this text a" political platform of the extreme right ". Obligation to protect the signatories in relation to the duty of reserve, we respond to Valeurs Actuelles, which ensures that it will have the authenticity of the signatories certified, while respecting their anonymity, by a bailiff. The weekly, which continues to collect signatures, remains very evasive on the number of signing soldiers. “We were approached by a few officers who offered us this text,” explains editorial director Geoffroy Lejeune. The text then turned a lot in military circles. Since it was going to leak, we released it earlier than expected. "
Above all, the weekly opened the text for signature of any Internet user, on the model of a banal petition.
"The objective is to show that there is popular support, that it is not a trick of enigumènes", justifies Geoffroy Lejeune whereas, according to a Harris Interactive poll, 58% of French support the soldiers having signed the first platform.
The staff is walking on eggshells
Aware of this popularity in public opinion, the general staff is walking on eggshells. Internally, the offensive reaction of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General François Lecointre, who had announced in our columns that the signatories would go before a military council, awakened the most “traditional” circles within the military institution, some of which have criticized the latter, accused of being too little finger on the seam of the uniform. In order not to trivialize the process, without adding fuel to the fire, the army limited itself Monday to specifying that a "firm reminder will be made by the command on the respect of the duty of reserve". It remains to be seen whether this firmness of tone, without sanctions, will be enough to calm the spirits.
Accused of recovery during the controversy on the first platform - she had notably published a text calling on the signatories to join her for the presidential election - Marine Le Pen this time limited to wondering Sunday about LCI: "how Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in collapsing the authority of the State to such an extent that today he finds himself confronted with the demands and the grumbling of the police, the army, tomorrow the prefectural
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“The text resonates with what has been denounced for a long time. We have proposals to answer them, ”reacts Jérôme Rivière, in charge of defense issues at the RN. But no question for all that for the party to sign the text, while the executive already denounces a manipulation of the extreme right. In matters of sovereignty, the president of the National Gathering has already invited all the elected members of the RN to participate in the "citizens' march" of May 19 in support of the police, after the tragedy in Avignon where a police officer was killed on May 5 during 'control. Before the presidential offensive, the major maneuvers continued.