This is farcical.
Or perhaps it's sinister. We'll soon learn the truth. Or not.
To recap, the former Commander of the French Foreign Legion, General Christian Piquemal gave an emotional interview ("France is dying!") and speech at a banned Pegida rally in Calais. The demonstration was summarily broken up by riot police who behaved very forcibly if not violently. Twenty people were arrested, including the 75-year old General, and they now face prison. Videos show Piquemal being pushed/dragged away in the center of a large police scrum. One emotional witness described the scene:
And what I saw yesterday, I won’t hide it from you, I could not sleep all night because I have reviewed the scene incessantly. They did not talk about it on the TV, the radio, not even in the news papers. We saw (General Piquemal) arrested, manhandled, like a thug, he who after all is a French icon, an image of France, who deserves respect and all the honours due to his rank. Like a thug, we saw him pushed to the ground. The policeman put his foot on his neck. I promise you, we saw it. Afterwards they picked him up, they dragged him, everyone by an arm, his feet did not even touch the ground...
Reportedly, Piquemal was hospitalized. Then a few days later, in the company of a confused looking lawyer, he seemingly repudiated his appearance and statements:
General Piquemal has said in no uncertain terms that he is sorry he went to the demonstration in Calais because he wasn't aware that PEGIDA would be there and PEGIDA is an organization of the "extreme-right", even "fascist" and he is not a racist or xenophobic... He just wanted to look at the situation in Calais to see if there wasn't a permanent solution to the problem...
This was of course disturbing news to anti-Islamist forces. Comments ranged from "they got to him" and "they probably threatened his family" to "we always knew he was a cowardly Socialist."
It's not over.
On his blog (yes, the General has one, although he doesn't seem to use it much), Piquemal has just retracted his retraction. And of course it's forcible and emotional in the style of his "France is dying!" interview:
No volte-face… No capitulation!
I retract nothing!
The fight goes on!
Soon, I will have an opportunity to explain myself clearly and to confound my detractors!
I proclaim: On February 6, from the depths of France, a flame emerged, that nothing and no one will ever be able to extinguish.
Long live Eternal France!
Fraternally yours...
(Translated by Tiberge at GalliaWatch)
Stay tuned.
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