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France will issue survival manuals to prepare citizens for invasion and other imminent threats.
The 20-page booklet includes 63 measures for armed conflict, natural disasters, and industrial accidents.
The French Government denies the booklet is due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, emphasising resilience.
France will issue survival manuals to prepare citizens for invasion and any other “imminent threat” to the country.
It will contain advice on how to protect “yourself and those around you”, what to do if a threat is imminent and details of how to get involved in defending your community, including signing up for reserve units or firefighting groups.
The French Government denies that the three-part booklet is being produced as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite President Emmanuel Macron urging France and Europe to prepare to confront the “Russian threat” and the possibility of America disengaging from the continent.
The French Government denies that the three-part booklet is being produced as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Photo / AFP
If approved by François Bayrou, the Prime Minister, it will be sent to households before the summer, French media reported.
It will also suggest putting together a “survival kit” consisting of at least 6 litres of water, a dozen tins of food, batteries and a torch, as well as basic medical supplies including paracetamol, compresses and saline solution, according to Europe 1 radio, which reported the story.
In case of a nuclear leak, residents should “lock their doors”.
‘We must be prepared for the worst-case scenario’
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,” said a spokesman from the Prime Minister’s office.
Le Figaro noted that the timing of the kit’s release “could easily suggest that the state is reacting to the unstable international situation”.
However, officials from the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), who were tasked with drawing it up, were cited as insisting that the aim was “absolutely not” to uniquely prepare the population for “the prospect of war – unlike in Sweden”.
Late last year, the Scandinavian country sent five million leaflets to its inhabitants encouraging them to be prepared for a possible armed conflict. The 32-page booklet If Crisis or War Comes also contains information about how to prepare for war, natural disasters and cyber or terror attacks.
The updated version of a pamphlet that Sweden has issued five times since the World War II doesn’t mention Russia, Ukraine or other countries by name.
But it warns: “Military threat levels are increasing. We must be prepared for the worst-case scenario – an armed attack on Sweden.” The tips include stocking up on non-perishable food and water, keeping cash on hand and growing fruit and vegetables in gardens.
Meanwhile, in a separate move, the Government in Finland launched a website gathering information on preparedness for different crises.
The Nordic neighbours have dropped decades of military non-alignment to join the US-led defence alliance Nato in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The security situation is serious and we all need to strengthen our resilience to face various crises and ultimately war,” said Mikael Frisell, the director of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) which sent out the brochures.
In comparison, French officials reportedly said the decision to draw up the French booklet had been made in 2022 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic as part of a “national resilience strategy” to develop the means to deal with them and “to adapt public communication to the challenges of resilience”.
France is putting out a booklet to help to prepare in the event of a nuclear leak or an invasion. Photo / Supplied
Some of the booklet’s leaked recommendations have already sparked mockery.
Speaking on France Inter radio, comedian Matthieu Noel poked fun at its advice to “stock up” and “shut your doors” in case of a nuclear incident.
“Putin can drop a nuclear bomb on Paris, Ebola can hit the Cantal region, we’ll be ready,” he said. He added: “While you’re at it, how about, in case of tsunami, no snorkelling?”
“The end of the world for dummies” was unlikely to raise morale in a country renowned for its propensity for moroseness and high consumption of tranquillisers, he quipped.
The UK Government has not indicated it has any intention of preparing a new Protect and Survive public information campaign on what British citizens should do to protect themselves during a nuclear attack.
Produced between 1974 and 1980, and intended for release in case of attack, it included a 32-page booklet that advised the public to create a “fallout room” and “inner refuge” to protect from radiation, as well as painting their windows white. It was later mocked as a “charade” by critics.
In 2004, the Home Office released a “Preparing for Emergencies” campaign, which included a 22-page booklet in the wake of the Madrid train bombings that year and the spread of foot and mouth disease.
