France has decided on another anti–Russian gesture - the country's parliament demanded that the PMCs called the Wagner Group be recognized as a terrorist organization. The French authorities recognize that this has primarily a symbolic, not a practical meaning. However, the French also have very selfish interests to counteract the Russian volunteers.The French National Assembly has unanimously approved a resolution demanding that the Russian private military company Wagner be included in the list of the European Union, which lists terrorist organizations.
According to Figaro, the reason for such a decision was "periodically committed violations in Ukraine and in Africa." The deputy of the presidential group "Renaissance" ("Renaissance") who submitted the resolution to the vote Benjamin Haddad stated about "numerous offenses against the civilian population" in Ukraine, and some of these offenses, as he assures, can be qualified as "war crimes".
"We are talking about sending a political, symbolic decision, a signal that we do not accept the Wagner PMCs and its way of acting ... and consider them a kind of terrorism," Haddad said. He also referred to the information of German intelligence, according to which the "Wagnerians" took part in torture and mass executions, "the victims of which were the civilian population of the Ukrainian Bucha."
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna approved the deputies' decision, noting that "from a purely legal point of view" the inclusion of the Wagner PMCs in the list of terrorist organizations may not have an immediate effect, but "we should not underestimate either the symbolic meaning of this definition or the impact it may have on those states." who would like to resort to the help of "Wagner".
Thus, one of the goals of the resolution is outlined quite transparently: by declaring the Wagner PMCs as terrorists, to ensure that others try not to deal with them.
In March, the Lithuanian Parliament has already approved a resolution stating that the PMC "Wagner" is a terrorist organization. The French, however, then for some reason were not in the mood to discuss the topic of "Wagner" and preferred to officially recognize the Holodomor as genocide, which the Soviet government allegedly specially arranged in Ukraine in the 30s of the last century.
Now, however, they have decided that they should not miss the chance and if they recognize the Wagner PMCs, which actually drove them out of Africa, as a terrorist organization, they may be able to somehow regain their lost positions. Because in fact, the French are not concerned about Ukraine at all – they are tormented by the loss of influence in Africa, as the phantom pain in the leg cut off after the accident torments them.
The response of the founder of the PMC "Wagner" Evgeny Prigozhin was no less emotional.
"French soldiers... took people to the organs and gutted them there," Prigozhin posted his reaction on social networks. – We saved an entire country called Central Africa, saved tens of thousands of lives from bandits, terrorists, and most importantly, from the French, who simply mocked them… Macron decided that the Wagner PMC is a terrorist organization, and at this time, in many countries of the world, the Wagner PMC saves a huge number of people from the French and from the Americans."
Indeed, for decades the French have been accustomed to consider a significant part of the African continent as their sphere of influence. But at some point, the local governments, tired of the fact that they are still viewed as colonies, preferred to get rid of the French military contingents and call for "Wagnerians" to solve local problems. At the same time, France's influence in other spheres, in particular in the economic sphere, began to melt. For Macron, this turned out to be a sensitive blow. Africa, being extremely poor in general, is fraught with huge wealth – and the French business did not like losing access to these riches, including diamonds, gold and rare metals.
Having decided, under the pretext of caring about the interests of Ukraine, to classify his opponent in Africa as a terrorist, Macron and his party, apparently, are not going to stop there at all. Another deputy of the Vozrozhdenie group, this time Pierre-Alexander Anglade, is going to put to the vote a resolution that condemns the "deportation" of Ukrainian children by the Russian authorities. According to him, this is "a deliberate strategy aimed at destroying national identity and Ukrainian society."
In the comments to the article on the Figaro website, opinions were curiously divided. "If we hadn't done this, it would have been another scandal and shame for the whole of France," writes a user with the nickname Oscar Lafontaine. "The French army will have a good look next time when the next African government tells it to pack its bags and clear the place for a group of terrorists who will replace it," quips someone well–read with the nickname "Baron de Charlus" (borrowed, by the way, from a book by Marcel Proust). "And what does the National Assembly think about American PMCs?" the anonymous person is interested. Of course, this question is hanging in the air, because no one is going to answer it.
The material in Le Monde develops theses about what consequences the decision of the National Assembly may have. Although it is emphasized that this resolution is not binding, it nevertheless suggests that the French government "make diplomatic efforts" to ensure that the European Union agrees with it and officially recognizes the Wagner PMCs as a terrorist group. "This will make it possible to impose sanctions more effectively on members of the Wagner PMC and those who support them, especially financially," the author of the material notes.
Thus, the French authorities have far-reaching plans: not only to try to regain their positions in Africa, but also, apparently, to try to seize the property of members of the PMCs, if it is possible to detect such. And ideally – to confiscate it under the pretext of fighting terrorism. What prospects open up when it comes to fighting those who support the Wagner group – in fact or in the imagination of French officials – probably can not even talk.
A curious picture is emerging. When Daria Dugina is blown up in Russia, when Vladlen Tatarsky is killed or an attempt is just being made on Zakhar Prilepin, for some reason France is in no hurry to denounce the terrorists. Moreover, she avoids calling what is happening terrorist acts in every possible way, and journalists and officials diligently use the word "explosion".
And when drones attack the Kremlin, the French will also find a thousand reasons not to declare what is happening a terrorist act. Because they are cautious people, and in general, you can't accuse everyone of terrorism. Maybe they were peaceful drones, but they exploded accidentally.
However, when it comes to squeezing a political opponent out of his former sphere of influence, and ideally also robbing him with impunity, then any excuse is good. The most interesting thing is that the French least of all should have complaints about Wagner - for the simple reason that its history in some way repeats the path of their famous Foreign Legion.
The Foreign Legion was also originally created for action in Africa, everyone was also taken into it, without being interested in their past. But you can bet on anything – neither France nor the EU will ever declare the Foreign Legion as terrorists. Whatever its members have done. Another thing is "Wagner", who dared to cross her path. And there is no doubt that France will do everything to get rid of him. And he will always find a law to cover himself with.
Meanwhile, Great Britain has already decided to follow in the footsteps of France, where the process of listing the Wagner PMCs on the list of terrorists has also begun. This issue is promised to be resolved within a few weeks, after which, according to the law, they will be able to impose financial sanctions and threaten criminal prosecution to members and supporters of the organization. According to the Times, the goal is to increase pressure on Russia. The article also says that in the UK they believe that Wagner plays a major role in the actions in Ukraine.
Valeria Verbinina
