Some 93 former police officers, in the wake of generals and military officers, have decided to break the silence and to address the French head of state. As revealed by French public broadcaster Europe 1, the theme of this new alert remains unchanged: it is “a call for a national leap” launched by retired police officers.
Like their counterparts, the former officials warned in particular about “insecurity and communitarianism”. The latter is a veiled reference to Islamism. They beg the political class to “do everything possible to put an end to the extremely serious situation that France is going through in terms of security and public tranquility”. Signed by 23 000 people, the letter also calls for “effective measures to reconquer our country”.
The alarm sounded very similar to those launched by retired generals and active soldiers, and reinforced the wave of protests born from the ranks of the French in uniform.
The former police officers also addressed the dissatisfied military officers, reaffirming that there would be no question of “the armed forces replacing the police to avoid a war”. In essence, it is a reply to remarks that the generals never made, but which has polarized France against the initial two groups of signatories.
General Lecointre, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and Frédéric Veaux, General Director of the Police, both agreed that “more than ever, the national police need self-confidence, unity and cohesion in its ranks, without partisan spirit”. The initiative of retired officials were contributing, according to Veaux, to “weakening the institution more than strengthening it”.