Terrorism

A very real threat
In response, a national system that has been tried and tested in the fight against terrorism...
... supplemented with close international cooperation

Confronted very early with the threat of international terrorism, France has set up a prevention and suppression system that has proven its worth.

A very real threat

France and its interests have been targeted by international terrorism in relation to the Near and Middle-East situation in the 1980s, by the Armed Islamic Group (or GIA from the French Groupe Islamique Armée) in Algeria in the 1990s and since the 2001 attacks on the United States and the resulting counter terrorism operations, by international jihadist networks close to or inspired by the al-Qaida movement (attack against a DCN bus in Karachi and operation against the Limbourg supertanker off the coast of Aden in 2002, assassinations and kidnappings of French citizens - tourists, expatriates, and soldiers - in Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, and Afghanistan in 2007, 2008, and 2009).

These terrorist networks constitute a constant, strategic threat for France who remains a target as regularly seen in the statements of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Ben Laden’s right-hand man, and Abdelmakel Droukdal, national emir of the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat). Currently, the terrorist threat concerns the national territory as well as French citizens and interests abroad (economic, tourist, diplomatic, and military targets). The dismantling of several terrorist cells since 2001 has, however, prevented attacks on the national territory.

In response, a national system that has been tried and tested in the fight against terrorism...

With each wave of attacks, France has improved its terrorism prevention and suppression system: the laws of 1986, 1996 and, shortly after the attacks in Madrid and London, the law of 23 January 2006 on the fight against terrorism and containing various provisions relating to security and border control.

This effective system that respects the state of law is subject to a broad consensus, because the reality of the threat is no longer contested. The French system is based on a specific handling of terrorism cases, while avoiding a system of exclusion.

1- Specific handling

  Specialization of information and police departments:

• Developing the DGSE (Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure or external security general directorate) counter terrorism department’s staff and resources.

• Creating, through the decree dated June 27th, 2008, the DCRI (Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur or interior intelligence central directorate) with the merger of the DST (Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire or national surveillance department) and the DCRG (Direction Centrale des Renseignements Généraux or general intelligence central directorate) for which combating terrorism is one of the four major priorities.

• Coordination between the police and the national gendarmerie, with the latter having its own counter terrorism brigade (BLAT) is provided by the counter terrorism coordination unit (UCLAT).

• Creation of a national intelligence coordinator, under the responsibility of the President of the Republic.

The police and National Gendarmerie (this latter also has its own counter-terrorism squad, the BLAT) are coordinated by the Counter-Terrorism Coordination Unit (UCLAT).

  The prevention departments (the DST serves as both information service and criminal investigation department) and judges responsible for suppression have an effective legal instrument, making it possible to dismantle networks before attacks are even carried out: crime syndicate with a view to committing a terrorist act;

  The law of January 2006 enables France to create a national list of persons and entities involved in terrorist acts, in addition to existing UN and European lists, allowing for the freezing of financial assets.

  The Vigipirate plan, which is evolving in accordance with the specialized departments’ assessment of the threat.

2- The monitoring of terrorist cases in the courts

In France, terrorism cases are monitored under the control of the judge, in ordinary courts of law. Courts specializing in counter-terrorism have been set up, with the counter-terrorism section of the court of Paris granted national jurisdiction. During the trial, the judges of the seat are not specialized magistrates, but the jury is made up of professional magistrates, the evidence system is adjusted and the sentences are harsher.

France insists on the need to supplement the necessary repressive action with preventive political action. It presented its vision in spring of 2006 in the French government’s White Paper on internal security in the face of terrorism.

3- Combating Radicalization

French practices in the combat against radicalization are essentially based on an approach of compliance with the law. It does not aim to counter an ideological discourse that, in certain cases, may contribute to inciting a violent act, but does not automatically lead to the use of violence. French practice targets violations of the law (inciting violence, racial hatred, etc.) but not commitment to a discourse, which would contravene the French ideal of liberty of conscience and expression.

... supplemented with close international cooperation

  bilaterally, with essential exchanges between information services, a considerable technical cooperation system, and regular diplomatic dialogues with our main partners.

  European:

• creation in 2005 of a situation centre (the SITCEN) responsible for developing a joint analysis of the threat,

• work within the three working groups tasked with monitoring the fight against terrorism in the EU: COTER, TWG and the group responsible for monitoring the European counter-terrorism list,

• improvements made to police and judicial cooperation within the “Justice and Home Affairs” pillar of the European Union and Europol and Eurojust,

• technical assistance actions benefiting third countries carried out by the Commission or under the CFSP.

  multilaterally:

• within the United Nations, which plays a key role in the fight against terrorism, specifically through:
   the implementation of a global counter-terrorism strategy adopted in September 2006,
   various specific sectoral conventions developed over the years to respond to new threats,
   the action of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate,
   the action of the 1267 Committee

• in the context of the G8, which fights against terrorism and organized crime in the context of the Lyon/Rome Group. The Counter-Terrorism Action Group (CTAG), created during the Evian Summit in 2003 on the initiative of the French Presidency of the G8, allows for better coordination of assistance to third countries in terms of building capacities to fight against terrorism. In addition to the countries of the G8, the CTAG includes Australia, Spain, Switzerland, the Commission, UNODC and the Executive Directorate of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee.

• within the Council of Europe, which plays a prescriptive role, specifically through its Committee of Experts on Terrorism (CODEXTER). It adopted the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism in January 1977, a protocol amending it in May 2003 and finally, in May 2005, European Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism. The global initiative to fight nuclear terrorism, which today brings together some 30 countries, was also launched during the G8 summit in 2006 by the United States and Russia.

• at NATO, which, for the first time in 1999, accepted a role with regard to responding to terrorism. Since 11 September, terrorism has been taken increasingly into consideration in NATO’s work (greater involvement of military intelligence in threat analysis, increased role of the ad hoc committee for improving the exchange of information on terrorism among allies, development of information exchange on the link between terrorism and CBRN proliferation).

• at the OSCE, which acquired a counter-terrorism unit in 2003. Since 11 September, a consensus has appeared for this forum to be used for political initiatives, in particular to encourage its members to ratify the UN conventions, or to strengthen technical assistance on the subject to member countries.

• within the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), created by the OECD countries to fight against money laundering and the mandate of which was expanded post-11 September to include the fight against financing terrorism. To this end, it has adopted nine special recommendations. The FATF is not an international organization with a universal vocation, but rather an informal group, whose prescription and surveillance activities target all countries.

• in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, which in November 2005 adopted a counter-terrorism code of conduct.

^{Updated on February 2010}