ABOUT 75,000 people have signed an Islamophobic letter written by French soldiers that threatens civil war in France.

The message, published in a right-wing magazine on Sunday evening and issued anonymously before being backed by members of the public, accuses the French government of granting “concessions” to Islamism.

The number of, and the ranks, of the original signatories, who Valeurs Actuelles claims to be active members of the military, remain unclear.

The authors described themselves as part of a younger generation who served in Afghanistan, Mali and the Central African Republic, or who joined domestic anti-terrorism operations.

Last month a similar letter published by serving and retired top brass was condemned by the government. Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said at the time that signatories would be punished for defying a law that forbids reservists or serving members of the military from expressing opinions in public on religion and politics.

Sunday’s message criticised the French government’s response to the “elders” letter.

“They gave their skin to destroy the Islamism to which you are giving concessions on our soil,” the letter reads. “Did they fight for you to allow France to become a failed state?

“If a civil war breaks out, the army will maintain order on its own soil. No-one can want such a terrible situation — our elders no more than us — but yes, civil war is brewing in France and you know it perfectly well.”

The French government has been criticised by rights campaigners both in the country and abroad for unfairly targeting Muslims, most recently with a new Bill to tackle what President Emmanuel Macron describes as “Islamist separatism.”