Divine surprise

The phrase "divine surprise" was first written by Maurras in the weekly Candide on 15 January 1941, celebrating the rise of Marshal Pétain to the leadership of a state "in which Jews and immigrants would no longer be masters, leaders, or beneficiaries," due to the "suicide" of republican democracy in July 1940[2][3].

Journalist François Honti confirms that Maurras did not rejoice in France's defeat by Nazi Germany but commented only on "the fact that in their misfortune the French found in Pétain a leader around whom they could rally"[8].

For sociologist Julien Damon, Maurras viewed Pétain's rise to power as "a revenge on the Revolution—according to him the greatest misfortune in history, the main cause of the dissolution of social bonds—and on the Republic—according to him responsible for all ills, particularly the defeat of 1940"[2].

For instance, Mathieu Burgaudeau's third-place finish in the 2023 Tour de France was hailed as a "divine surprise" in La Voix du Nord[9], as was Markéta Vondroušová's victory at Wimbledon 2023 in L'Équipe[10].

On 4 July 2024, the Indigènes de la République described the riots following Nahel Merzouk's death as a "divine surprise, which puts the racial question back at the center of political debate"[13][14].