The French military is rife with Nazi sympathizers, revealed a Paris-based investigative journal in a report published on Tuesday.
The Mediapart report identified a total of 50 French soldiers of different ranks who have ties to the neo-Nazi movement.
Tracking down videos and posts shared by the soldiers on social media platforms, journalists from Mediapart unveiled French troops making the "Heil Hitler" Nazi salute, using racist discourse, and posing in front of Nazi flags or symbols.
Despite the website's previous reports that proved the presence of neo-Nazis in French barracks in July 2020, the government seems to be reluctant to expel them from the military, stirring controversy in the country.
Following initial reports, the French Defense Ministry had announced that they take the matter very "seriously," but expelled only one officer with an "SS" tattoo, which were worn by members of the Waffen-SS in Nazi Germany during World War II.
The journal for its part claimed that the French military was "particular" on expulsions of neo-Nazis from the army, adding that the Defense Ministry is of the opinion that “these reprehensible behaviors fall within the domain of individual inclinations.”
