Growing tensions between the ‘extreme Right and the Muslim world’ have pushed France to the ‘verge of a civil war’, the country’s most senior security chief has warned.
Patrick Calvar, head of the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) – France’s equivalent of MI5 – made his claim in the wake of last year’s terrorist attacks on Paris. A total of 147 people were murdered by terrorists in the capital during atrocities in January and November.
Many of those responsible were French passport holders with North African backgrounds, leading to far-Right politicians calling for a massive clampdown on immigration.
But Mr Calvar, 60, warned there is evidence that radical Right-wing French groups have been massing arms in preparation for their own attacks on mosques and synagogues.
‘I think we will win against terrorism,’ Mr Calvar said, but predicted the ‘confrontation between the extreme Right and the Muslim world’, adding: ‘We’re on the verge of a civil war. I think this confrontation is going to happen. One or two more attacks and it will take place. It is up to us to anticipate and stop all those groups who would trigger clashes.’
The French equivalent of the head of MI5 says his country is on the brink of civil war, days before the horrific Nice terror attack.
Is he scaremongering? Personally, I think he is right to be worried.
Peace always has been and always will be an intermittent flash of light in a dark history of warfare, violence, and destruction
It depends on what you describe as civil war. Terrorist acts tend to be acts of vengeance driven by emotions rather than reason. It is not impossible to see a situation in which further similar acts occur from a different direction. We had that in Birmingham on a small scale with a Ukrainian and other actions happened nationally. These tend to make things worse, however.
a) France is facing major civil insurrection in response to swinging austerity policies and a semi-permanent "state of emergency" following the nightclub attacks. Many French now consider the nightclub attacks are being used as a pre-text in oder to suppress dissent in the general population that is occurring for other reasons.
b) A "terrorist attack" happens right on schedule in Nice with the perpetrator conveniently shot dead on site.
Little John wrote:. Many French now consider the nightclub attacks are being used as a pre-text in oder to suppress dissent in the general population that is occurring for other reasons.
Who are these "many French"? I expect there are many, many more who think nothing of the sort.
To become an extremist, hang around with people you agree with. Cass Sunstein
The choice of Nice as a target – whether deliberately calculated by Isis or not – is potentially explosive.
Paris and Brussels are cosmopolitan, leftish-leaning, open-minded cities. Nice is by far the most right-wing of the large towns and cities in France, a bastion of the hardest-edged version of Nicolas Sarkozy’s centre right and also of the far right Front National.
A large part of its white population is descended from the “pied noirs” French colonists who were forced out of Algeria in the early 1960s. Nice also has a large Muslim population. They live within the city boundaries, not locked away in the “banlieues” or poor multi-racial suburbs like in Paris or Lyon.
If you wanted to light the fuse of race war in France, Nice would be a clever choice.
Looks like ISIS is trying to start a civil war in France.
Peace always has been and always will be an intermittent flash of light in a dark history of warfare, violence, and destruction
Lord Beria3 wrote:Looks like ISIS is trying to start a civil war in France.
ISIS would like that. That is the rationalisation of terrorists generally. However, there is no reports that I have seen that this was specifically planned by ISIS although they have welcomed it.
For French President François Hollande, the enemy is an abstraction: "terrorism" or "fanatics".
Instead, the French president reaffirms his determination to military actions abroad: "We are going to reinforce our actions in Syria and Iraq," the president said after the Nice attack.
So confronted with this failure of our elite who were elected to guide the country across nationals and internationals dangers, how astonishing is it if paramilitary groups are organizing themselves to retaliate?
"Western elites, with a suicidal obstinacy, oppose naming the enemy. Confronted with attacks in Brussels or Paris, they prefer to imagine a philosophical fight between democracy and terrorism, between an open society and fanaticism, between civilization and barbarism". -- Mathieu Bock-Côté, sociologist, in Le Figaro
In France, the global elites made a choice. They decided that the "bad" voters in France were unreasonable people too stupid to see the beauties of a society open to people who often who do not want to assimilate, who want you to assimilate to them, and who threaten to kill you if you do not.
Similarly, the British took the first tool that was given to them to express their disappointment at living in a society they did not like anymore. They did not vote to say: "Kill all these Muslims who are transforming my country or stealing my job or soaking up my taxes". They were just protesting a society that a global elite had begun to transform without their consent.
The global elite made a choice: they took the side against their own old and poor because those people did not want to vote for them any longer. They also made a choice not to fight Islamism because Muslims vote collectively for this global elite.
Peace always has been and always will be an intermittent flash of light in a dark history of warfare, violence, and destruction
Well that's an opinion. Not very well expressed though since it's not clear what he's trying to say, so it leaves it open to interpretation. Anyone can see whatever they want to.
To become an extremist, hang around with people you agree with. Cass Sunstein
woodburner wrote:Well that's an opinion. Not very well expressed though since it's not clear what he's trying to say, so it leaves it open to interpretation. Anyone can see whatever they want to.
