Charles Martel Group

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Charles Martel Group
Groupe Charles-Martel
Dates of operation1973 (1973)–1987 (1987)
Country France
Active regionsPrimarily Paris and Marseille
Ideology French nationalism
White nationalism
Anti-Arabism
Antisemitism
Political position Far-right
Notable attacks
StatusInactive
SizeUnknown; no one has ever been arrested in connection to the group

The Charles Martel Group (French : Groupe Charles-Martel, also Club Charles-Martel, Cercle Charles-Martel, Commando Charles-Martel) was a French far-right anti-Arab militant group which operated in the 1970s and 1980s. It was named after Charles Martel, the Frankish military leader who defeated the Umayyad invasion of Gaul at the Battle of Tours in 732. The group was formed by veterans of the Organisation armée secrète, which fought against Algerian independence during the Algerian War. [1]

Contents

Their attacks were primarily centered on Algerian properties, businesses, and government offices. This stemmed from the Algerian war fought between France and the FLN between 1954 and 1962. Algeria had long been a colony of the French and saw other colonized nations gaining their independence in the aftermath of World War II. This led to a prolonged guerrilla war, with acts of terrorism, torture and war crimes being committed by multiple actors in the conflict. Algeria ultimately gained independence, resulting in the exodus of the Jewish, Pied-noir and Harki communities from the region. In several cases multiple groups claimed responsibility for attacks in the 1970s and 1980s, and the parties actually responsible have not been definitively established.

Attacks

References

  1. Plügge, Matthias. Traces of Terrorism: A Chronicle: Contexts, Attacks, Terrorists. Germany, BoD - Books on Demand, 2023. Page 200.
  2. "CHARLES MARTEL GROUP ATTACKED AIRPORTS & AIRLINES TARGET (MAR. 2, 1975, FRANCE)". tkb.org. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on September 12, 2005.
  3. "CHARLES MARTEL GROUP ATTACKED DIPLOMATIC TARGET (APR. 10, 1975, FRANCE)". tkb.org. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006.
  4. "HIGH FRENCH AIDE IS KILLED IN PARIS". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  5. Johnson, Douglas (August 12, 1995). "Obituary: Pierre de Varga". www.independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  6. "The accused murderers of wealthy Prince Jean de Broglie,..." upi.com. United Press International. November 4, 1981. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  7. "CHARLES MARTEL GROUP ATTACKED OTHER TARGET (NOV. 1, 1977, FRANCE)". tkb.org. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007.
  8. The French Seventies. United Kingdom, Yale University Press, 2024. Page 190
  9. "CHARLES MARTEL GROUP ATTACKED OTHER TARGET (MAY 7, 1980, FRANCE)". tkb.org. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007.
  10. "CHARLES MARTEL GROUP ATTACKED DIPLOMATIC TARGET (MAY 11, 1980, FRANCE)". tkb.org. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007.
  11. "CHARLES MARTEL GROUP ATTACKED AIRPORTS & AIRLINES TARGET (AUG. 9, 1983, FRANCE)". tkb.org. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007.
  12. "CHARLES MARTEL GROUP AND ORLY ORGANIZATION ATTACKED OTHER TARGET (OCT. 1, 1983, FRANCE)". tkb.org. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007.
  13. "Paris shooting: A timeline of violent attacks on French media". The Star. Paris. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.