France to form National Guard to counter terror attacks

Europe, News July 31, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

President François Hollande announce return of the French National Guard to protect citizens following recent terrorist attacks

French government has announced a plan to form a national guard to boost security in the wake of the terror attacks, particularly after the Bastille Day attack in Nice which killed 84 people.

“The President of the Republic [Francois Hollande] decided to establish the National Guard from the existing operating reserves,” the statement reads. Hollande said the government will “as soon as possible begin the establishment of this structure, which would serve to protect the French people.”

Hollande said he hoped the guard, made up of volunteers from the police, paramilitary police, and military would be operational by early autumn.

The French President François Hollande has confirmed on July 28 that a French National Guard would be created from the existing French army reserve forces to response to the new threats of terrorist attacks.

Following the Bastille Day attack in Nice, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve had announced that thousands of reservists – 9,000 military police officers and 3,000 regular police officers – would be called up to bolster security forces. He also called upon ‘all willing French patriots’ to join the volunteer force. To date, 2,500 people have signed up, the interior ministry has said, with more volunteers coming forward.

France has not had a national guard since 1872.

The original French National Guard – created at the time of the Revolution – was said to be about 600,000 strong shortly before it was finally disbanded in 1872.