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France launches shock video to 'stop jihadists'

Oliver Gee
Oliver Gee - [email protected]
France launches shock video to 'stop jihadists'

The French government has released a shock video campaign in the hope of dissuading young French nationals from heading to the Middle East to fight with Islamic jihadists, by telling them "you'll find hell on earth and you'll die alone, far from home".

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The video (below) attempts to show French viewers the difference between what they're told about heading to Syria and Iraq and the reality of they can expect over there. 
 
The video begins with a skim through popular Jihad groups on social media site Facebook, followed by an anonymous and friendly invitation to join the action. "The truth is out there and now is the time to go... if you want more info just give me your number...".
 
What follows are a series of comparisons between "What they tell you" and "the reality", often combined with extremely graphic images. 
 
WARNING: The video below contains graphic content. Discretion is advised.


#Stopdjihadisme : Ils te disent… by gouvernementFR

 
"They told you: "Sacrifice yourself by our side for a just cause"," the text reads, together with images of masked and flag-waving gunmen
 
It's followed by black and white images of captives being killed and their bodies being dumped, together with the words: "In reality, you'll find hell on earth and you'll die alone, far from home."
 
Another clip reads "They tell you: Come and start a family with one of our heros", followed by the government's "reality" message that "you'll bring your children up in the midst of war and in terror." 
 
The rest of the film, released by the French government on Tuesday, shows images of children suffering and dead bodies being dragged away.
 
It concludes with a warning that the "Jihadist indoctrination gets new victims every day", followed by a hashtag that translates to #StopJihadism.
 
The video clip, which has been doing the rounds in French social media circles since it was published, is part of the government's three-year plan to crack down on terrorism after 17 people were killed in the Paris terror attacks this month. 
 
 
Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced last week that €425 million would be invested in counter-terrorism, with €60 million specifically devoted to the prevention of radicalization, including what he referred to as "cyber patrols" of social media sites.
 
"Terrorists often use the same social networks as everyone else," Valls explained, calling on Internet service providers to comply with their legal obligations and moral responsibility.
 

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