There was Frederik Limol, ultraviolent and overarmed, who killed three gendarmes in the Puy de Dôme, a few days before last Christmas.
Then Valentin Marcone, who went to work wearing a bulletproof vest before murdering his boss and his colleague in mid-May.
Two weeks later, the former soldier Thierry Dupin took refuge for more than three days in the forest, in the Dordogne, after the assault of his ex-companion. Three suspects over-trained in the handling of firearms, close to survivalist circles who are now alarming the authorities. In a note dated early June, military intelligence fears the radicalization of the survivalist movement. According to BFM TV, the information
"does not rule out the possibility of a violent act, or even a terrorist act"
. At the beginning of June already, a bill tabled by the former deputy Lrem Aurélien Taché aimed to frame the movement, which will bring together
t “between 100 and 150,000 people.”
"It is a real social phenomenon: formerly a niche activity, practiced by specialists, survival courses and survivalist practices have become largely democratized in recent years",
worries the deputy.
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How does the violent radicalization of a movement long reduced to the image of extreme hikers, subscribers to survival courses in a hostile environment? If they do not respond to any single and structured group, survivalists in any case adhere to an ideology orbiting violence. They believe in a fragmentation of society following a major crisis and stand out from collapsologists, who believe that solidarity will prevail at that time in the disaster.
“Survivalists believe that the animal instinct will gain the upper hand, and that we must be prepared for violent situations. In this logic of protection, they themselves acquire knowledge about violence and fall into a gear ”
analyzes Matthieu Burgalassi, author of the book
Fear of Hate, survey among survivalists.
Technical pulling, throat cutting techniques, use of weapons: the followers develop quasi-military know-how:
"They become particularly dangerous because not only do they have weapons, but they know how to use them."
Read also: How the phenomenon of ultraviolent frenzies is poisoning France
A movement impossible to control
Most are content to hide in nature. But the danger comes from a certain politicization, notably from the ultra-right, according to BFM TV.
“Survivalist speeches have points in common with the imagination of the ultra-right activist: the theme of the collapse of Western societies resonates with the idea that we are heading towards a racial civil war and that we should fight against colonization by extra-European populations, the great replacement, ”
observes sociologist Stéphane François.
In their note, the intelligence worries about a poaching of soldiers and police officers in these movements, to supervise the survival courses, or conversely to integrate the army in a survivalist logic. “
Military know-how attracts survivalists, eager for this type of preparation. Moreover, former soldiers organize internships to train in this type of preparation, ”
says Stéphane François. “
Target audiences range from apolitical survivalist, just interested in survival methods, to far-right activists. In the latter case, the training is free of charge and takes place within the framework of militant camps ”.
Aurélien Taché's bill would oblige survival training organizers to request prior authorization and to comply with a code of ethics.
"We can supervise these courses to limit violence, for example, by prohibiting training to shoot at moving targets"
, judge Matthieu Burgalassi.
“On the other hand, we cannot supervise the movement. Survivalists will not come and report to the prefecture ”