Why is Macron feigning outrage at the Danish spying scandal?

The feigned outrage in Berlin – but mostly in Paris – at the USA’s proxy use of Denmark’s intelligence services to intercept submarine cable traffic to spy on European leaders raises more than a wry smile. Allies have always spied on allies for legitimate reasons. Few have done so, and continue to do so, as much as the French. 

As president of France and commander-in-chief of the French armed forces, Emmanuel Macron will be perfectly aware of this. The French foreign intelligence service, DGSE, runs an interception programme on submarine cables that listens in to potential enemies and friends in similar fashion to the US National Security Agency or Britain’s GCHQ. 

The French army’s Emeraude programme intercepts and deciphers rivals and friends’ encrypted international diplomatic and industrial communications from its listening posts around the world on remnants of the French empire. Indeed France is a member of the second most important western signals intelligence network known as ‘Nine Eyes’.