What is the relationship between the Afghan Taliban regime and the members of the “freedom convoy”, who intend, across France and as far as Brussels, to denounce health measures? This was the question asked after the eruption of a flag, Saturday, February 12, place de l’Etoile, in the heart of Paris, on the roof of a vehicle having escaped the dams at the gates of the capital.

This scene, filmed, had reacted the Afghan news agency Asvaka, in Kabul. She had identified the flag of the Taliban regime which displays, on a white background, the chahada, the profession of faith in Islam. The world had initially realized this oddity. After analysis, image by image, of the video, it appears that this white flag would not be the sign of the regime of the Afghan mullahs, who returned to power on August 15, 2021.

The video, which is circulating on social networks, shows a policeman getting out of a screen-printed service vehicle with a colleague in order to intercept a white car that had tried to escape a first check a few moments earlier. The first official brandishes his gun and points it at the recalcitrant driver. An attitude that has generated some emotion, including within his administration. The prefect of police of Paris, Didier Lallement, declared, as of Sunday, an internal investigation. The Paris prosecutor’s office also opened a preliminary investigation on Monday into the heads of “willful violence with a weapon by a person holding public authority and threats”. The investigations were entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN).

Misunderstandings

A detail of this scene caused confusion. The white car was, in fact, surmounted by two flags waving in the wind. The first, tricolor, clearly linked its occupants to a protest movement against health measures very attached to the French flag. On the other hand, the second, on a white background, could suggest that it was the flag adopted by the Taliban regime whose exact title is the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

White, he wears, written in black, the chahada, the profession of faith which constitutes the first of the five pillars which exploits the bases of Muslim belief, a short sentence which affirms that there is no other god than ‘Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet. These brands have now invaded Afghanistan, starting with its capital, Kabul. Official buildings, barracks, city entrances or streets are paved in Taliban colors. Street vendors have even specialized in selling these flags of all sizes, the smallest of which have been appearing since the fall of 2021 on car dashboards in Kabul, no doubt to curry favor with new masters. from the country.

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