Charles Martel Group

The Charles Martel Group (also known as the Charles Martel Club) was a French far-right anti-Arab terrorist organization which operated in the 1970s and 1980s. It was named after Charles Martel, the Frankish military leader who defeated invaders of the Umayyad Caliphate at the Battle of Tours in 732.

Their attacks were primarily centered on Algerian properties or businesses and also aimed at the Algerian government. This stemmed from the near decade long war fought between France and Algeria after World War II between 1954-1962. Algeria had long been a colony of the French and saw other colonized nations gaining their independence, mainly from Great Britain. This among other factors led to a horrible war that included acts of brutality, torture and guerrilla warfare. The end result was an independent Algeria but a tremendous amount of hostility remaining between the two nations. What added insult to injury for French citizens was at the end of the decade when refugees from Algeria began to migrate north and settle in the French countryside.

Choosing Martel as the namesake of the radical group stems from his successful defense of the then Frankish Kingdom over a thousand years prior. What makes Martel stand out above the numerous other French military leaders through the years is his battle was against Arab invaders, in other words a background similar to that of the Algerians targeted by the extremists here.

There have been other groups with similar interests to that of the Charles Martel Group in and outside of France. A terrorist organization targeting the French government for supporting the Algerian independence movement popped up using a similar name in the 1960s before the radical group came together. This original group never got around to acts of violence. A Charles Martel Society has formed in America with some radical overtones, but it too seems to be a non-violent group.