French politician calls for army to be 'purged' as military officers rebel

The themes of the letter are the same. The hostile terms remain unchanged. But the authors of the latest letter by serving French military officials warning of a "civil war" in the country marks an escalation between the country's military and civilian officials.

The open letter accused French President Emmanuel Macron of succumbing to "cowardice, deceit [and] perversion."

Published in France's leading far-right magazine, Valeurs Actuelles, it lays out a dystopian vision of a coming France where the country will succumb to "chaos and violence" and a "civil insurrection."

The enemies, according to the officers, are those that criticise France and its colonial history. The "hordes" living in the suburbs - particularly those that profess Islam and for whom "France means - nothing but an object of sarcasm."

Like the first letter three weeks ago, which appeared in the same far-right magazine, the second continues to expose deep discontent between the military and the country's ruling elite.

In particular, the authors of the latest letter warned the country's politicians of trying to muzzle their warnings while giving "concessions" to so-called Islamists.

"We see communitarianism taking hold in public space, in public debate. We see hatred for France and its history becoming the norm," warn the anonymous authors who the magazine says are serving military figures.

Taken together, the acts by an ungrateful and restless minority constitute, in the eyes of the authors, the prelude to "decline" which "precedes the collapse" of France.

The authors chide the country's political class for being "cowardly" in the face of a "brewing" civil war which they accuse politicians of knowing and doing little to stop.

Bizarrely, the military officers accused the country's politicians of "abandoning" without care "entire districts of our country to the law of the strongest," and therefore betraying those that have fought for the land.

In these lines, the authors revealingly frame the non-white communities, who are also French citizens and overwhelmingly live in the country's suburbs, as invaders who should be defeated or at least subdued by no other than the military.

It urges politicians to "conquer" areas of France in which the state's mandate and writ no longer reach.

The divisive language echoes the words of a letter printed by the Financial Times last year, where President Macron writes, without evidence, about districts that were "separated from the rest of society, raised in hatred of France's values."

Politicians across France's political spectrum have increasingly mainstreamed far-right white nationalist discourse in a bid to head off the increasing popularity of the country's extreme far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

Le Pen was one of the first politicians to capitalise on the letter by French military officials urging them to join in the "battle for France."

Following the publishing of the first letter, the country's politicians and France's Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Francois Lecointre, condemned the letter and its signatories, starting disciplinary procedures against his officers.

The authors of the latest letter have remained anonymous to avoid consequences.

The authors of the latest letter present themselves as the guardians of the state against its enemies. Below their open letter, a petition of support was opened up, which has garnered more than 230,000 signatories.

Polling indicates that the French public backs military calls to get involved in the country's politics, with 58 percent supporting the first petition.

The country's right-wing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin mocked the officers in the latest letter stating, "These are anonymous people. Is that the courage? To be anonymous?"

Another French politician, Jean-Luc Melenchon, called for politicians to "purge the army of its factious members."

Against this highly volatile political climate, there has been increased violence towards the country's 5.4 million Muslim minority. During the month of Ramadan, several mosques have been burned or vandalised.

As French military officers battle it out with its political leadership, it's the Muslim community that seems likely to shoulder the burden.