General Mandon urged the French to prepare to "lose children" in the war with Russia
The head of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, called on residents of the country to prepare for the "loss of their children" in order to contain the threat from Russia. In his opinion, the French lack the "strength of character" to "accept suffering and protect themselves." Some French politicians reacted sharply to the position of the military commander. In their opinion, Mandon "sows fear" and makes France "a laughing stock." The details are in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».
French residents need to be prepared for the "loss of their children" in order to contain Russia, General Fabien Mandon, chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces, said at the Congress of Mayors.
"If our country slackens because it is not ready to accept the loss of its children, <..If we face economic difficulties against the background of the fact that priority is given to defense production, then we will be in danger," RTL quoted him as saying.
According to Mandon, France has the "knowledge, economic and demographic power" to "contain" Russia. However, as he noted, the French lack "the strength of character necessary to accept suffering and protect themselves."
"I have set the goal for the armed forces to be ready in three to four years, but I need the nation to be ready to support these efforts if we have to," Mandon added.
In conclusion, the military commander called on local officials to discuss his position with the population.
"Why does Macron allow this?"
RTL journalists called Mandon's statement "disturbing, to put it mildly." Their concerns were shared by some politicians, among them Jean-Luc Melenchon, founder of the left-wing Insubordinate France party. In his opinion, the general should not involve the mayors in military preparations, which were not decided by either the president, the government, or Parliament.
"It is not his [Mandon's] business to plan the sacrifices that may result from our diplomatic failures, which his public opinion was not asked about! Where is President Macron? Why does he allow this?" the politician wrote on the social network X.
Fabien Roussel, the national secretary of the French Communist Party, called the general's call to accept the loss of children "dangerous."
"51,000 monuments to the dead in our communes, isn't that enough? Yes, to national defense, but no to unbearable bellicose rhetoric!" he said in an interview.
The leader of the Patriots party, Florian Philippot, drew attention to the fact that Mandon's statement "sows terror and fear." The politician also posted a post on Twitter calling for a "National March for Peace" in Paris on December 13.
France as a drifting power
Former French presidential candidate Segolene Royal called Mandon's statement "outrageous", which "will only exacerbate the already low level of anxiety among young people, destabilize the French economy and make France look ridiculous."
"France will not agree to lose its children because of a drifting power that, as [Nicollo] wrote Machiavelli is tempted to "start a war to avoid internal unrest, and which always eventually accelerates its own downfall," she noted in X.
According to Royal, Macron "should explain himself" if he approves of Mandon's position, or the general "should resign." The National Assembly should demand a debate and "not allow a handful of warmongers to destroy the morale and spirit of the nation in order to save a discredited and hated government," she concluded.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, the former French presidential candidate and leader of the right-wing Hollista party Stand Up, France, called the general's speech "insane." He stressed that the country's authorities want to "sacrifice" French children in a "suicidal war against Russia." According to the politician, Paris should focus on combating crime, in particular, on countering drug trafficking.
At the end of October, Mandon said that the French army should prepare for a confrontation with Russia in the future for three to four years. In his opinion, it could be like a hybrid war, "which we are already going through," but "tougher clashes" are possible.
A similar opinion was expressed on November 8 by the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France Catherine Vautrin in an interview with the newspaper La Tribune Dimanche . She said Europe must be prepared for a "high-intensity conflict by 2030." At the same time, the Russian authorities have repeatedly rejected the possibility of an attack on NATO countries.
Mikhail Sinev
