LONDON: A former French officer who signed a letter denouncing the government of Emmanuel Macron earlier this week has warned of the threat of civil war if his message that France is facing 鈥渄isintegration鈥� as a result of Islamism is ignored.

Jean-Pierre Fabre-Bernadac, 70, told that he plans to create a 鈥減owerful鈥� organization to combat what he said were ethnic 鈥渉ordes鈥� and political correctness 鈥渞uining鈥� France.

Fabre-Bernadac said he now wanted to 鈥渟tructure鈥� a movement to create a nationwide 鈥渃amaraderie,鈥� and wanted it to be a 鈥減owerful lobby,鈥� adding that if not listened to it would take France 鈥渁 further step towards civil war, which we don鈥檛 want.

鈥淚f I tell you that if you鈥檙e not careful when you鈥檙e driving your car, you could have an accident, it鈥檚 not because I want you to have an accident. It鈥檚 the opposite,鈥� he said.

Others who signed the letter included retired general Antoine Martinez, founder of 鈥淰olontaires pour la France,鈥� a right-wing group committed to defending 鈥渢raditional French values.鈥�

The controversial letter has led some left-wing commentators to call the action of the military personnel the beginning of an attempted coup, to which Fabre-Bernadac told the Times: 鈥淚 am 70. Can you really see me staging a coup d鈥櫭﹖at? And if we were planning one, do you really think we鈥檇 announce it first?鈥�

French soldiers who signed the letter, including officers, will face sanctions before a military council, the armed forces chief of staff said earlier this week.

鈥淓ach one (will go) before a senior military council, 鈥� General Francois Lecointre told Le Parisian newspaper, and could be 鈥渄elisted鈥� or 鈥減ut into immediate retirement.鈥�

The open letter, published by right-wing magazine Valeurs Actuelles last week, predicted that failure to act against 鈥渟uburban hordes鈥� 鈥� or residents of mainly immigrant suburban areas 鈥� and other groups who 鈥渟corn our country鈥� will lead to 鈥渃ivil war鈥� and deaths 鈥渋n the thousands.鈥�

It states that France was 鈥渄isintegrating with the Islamists of the hordes of the banlieue [suburbs] who are detaching large parts of the nation and turning them into territory subject to dogmas contrary to our constitution.鈥�

Prime Minister Jean Castex labelled the rare intervention in politics by military figures 鈥渁n initiative against all of our republican principles, of honor and the duty of the army.鈥�

The 18, including four officers, were among hundreds of signatories to the open letter.

鈥淚 believe that the higher the responsibilities, the stronger the obligation of neutrality and exemplarity,鈥� said Lecointre.

The main instigators of the letter are alleged to have ties to far-right, anti-immigration movements in France.

Fabre-Bernadac ran security in the 1990s for the National Front leader, the Canard Enchaine newspaper reported.

* With AFP