European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
France’s internal security chief warns of rise in far-right violence
rfi.fr – France’s top intelligence official has warned of the “very worrying resurgence” of violent actions by the ultra-right since the beginning of the year.In an interview with Le Monde newspaper, Nicolas Lerner, France’s Director General of Internal Security stressed, “Since the spring, we have witnessed a very worrying resurgence of violent actions and intimidation by the ultra-right, some of which are a clear break with the democratic framework.”
Lerner – who has been head of the DGSI since 2018 – pointed in particular to attacks against the two mayors who resigned after one had his home was burnt down, while the other faced intimidation from the far-right over the installation of reception centres for asylum seekers and refugees.French spy chief: main terrorist threats are jihadists and right-wing extremists. But also concern about “ultra-leftists getting involved in environmentalism”.
The senior civil servant has voiced his concern over the “trivialisation of the use of violence and the temptation to try to impose one’s ideas through fear or intimidation” in the ultra-right movement, which “numbers around 2,000 people”.Lerner also pointed out that ten planned terrorist attacks by the ultra-right have been foiled since 2017.
Attacks against ‘symbols of the state’
With regard to the far-left movement, the importation of its “modes of action” on environmental issues – such as the protest against the proposed water storage megabasins at Sainte-Soline or the work on the Lyon-Turin rail line – “is a cause for concern”.”The fight against global warming is a legitimate battle that deserves to be fought with determination. But with the means allowed in a democracy,” Lerner underlined.
He regretted that “for some, this demand is a pretext for attacking the symbols of the State, the forces of order – what they call the ‘system'”.However, he did not endorse Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin’s term “eco-terrorists”, explaining that “no action” of a terrorist nature has been committed in the name of the environmental cause in recent years.
‘Radicalised individuals’
He did call on agencies to remain vigilant in the face of “ideologies that legitimise and theorise the use of violent action”.With regard to the risk of Islamist terrorism, Lerner explained that he is increasingly monitoring “radicalised individuals living in Europe or Central Asia” who are invited to take action by “terrorist organisations in Syria and, increasingly, Afghanistan”.In December, two young radicals – one Russian and the other Tajik – were indicted and imprisoned on suspicion of preparing violent action on French territory.
