Concerns grow as France issues ‘survival manual’ to prepare citizens for invasion
19 March 2025, 23:01
Concerns are growing among the French public as the state prepared to issue a ‘survival manual’ to prepare citizens for a potential invasion.
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The 20-page 'manuals' will be distributed by the French Government and are set to contain a range of safety measures to be taken in case of military and natural dangers.
Comprised of three parts, the booklets will contain a range of advice on how to protect “yourself and those around you”, leaving many French citizens concerned over the measures.
Further subjects contained within the booklets are set to include actions to be taken in case of an imminent threat, how to defend your community and get involved in voluntary reserve units or firefighting groups.
The French Government has denied the publications come in response to escalating tensions following Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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Drawn up by the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), a source suggested the department's aim was “absolutely not” intending to prepare citizens of France for “the prospect of war".
A spokesman from the prime minister’s office said: “The purpose of this document is to ensure the resilience of populations in the face of all types of crisis, whether natural, technological, cyber or security-related”.
It comes despite French President Emmanuel Macron warning France and Europe to prepare to confront the “Russian threat” following recent moves by Trump to distance the US from European defence plans.
French publication Le Figaro highlighted the timing of the booklet's release “could easily suggest that the state is reacting to the unstable international situation”.
It's been likened to the UK Government's Protect and Survive public information campaign which ran between 1974 and 1980.
Warning citizens of nuclear threats, the 32-page booklet's advised UK citizens to create a “fallout room”in their homes and an “inner refuge” to protect from risk of radiation.
It comes months after Sweden issued 5 million leaflets to citizens across the Scandinavian nation encouraging them to be prepare for the possibility of armed conflict in the near future.
Entitled “If Crisis or War Comes”, the 32-page booklet released by Sweden's Government followed the increasing threat posed by Putin and the nation's proximity to Russia amid rising tensions.
News of the leaflets follows a diplomatic row between France and the US which erupted after a French researcher was expelled from the country for expressing "a personal opinion" on Trump.
The academic, who was on assignment from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), was detained by officers and later deported after landing at George Bush International Airport in Houston, Texas, ahead of a conference on March 9.
