Thursday, November 25, 2010

European Gendarmerie Force

From the Eurogendfor website, a description of their logo:
On a background of blue sky, the cruciform sword symbolizes the force, the laurel crown the victory, and the flaming grenade the common military roots of the police forces.
Britain is a changing place and public opinion is constantly shifting, especially around law and order. But I hope that the above description of the Eurogendfor concerns people. It perhaps more starkly than many things highlights the difference between the UK and European countries.

Eurogendfor is a paramilitary force set up by the European Union. Six member states are currently involved, they are Italy, France, Spain, Romania, The Netherlands and Portugal. They are based in barracks in Vicenza in Northern Italy. The Turkish force, Jandarma, currently has observer status and the Poles and Lithuanians are partners.

The force is under the direct control of the EU and can be deployed anywhere in the world. Imagine the student riots escalating and the police losing control. That is the ideal scenario for the deployment of this force.  It has recently been involved in missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UK government has repeatedly claimed that the Eurogendfor will not be deployed in the UK. But the EU does have a habit of creeping influence becoming creeping power.

More information is available on the European Gendarmerie Force website.

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