Joël Mergui, the president of France’s umbrella body for Jewish organisations, has called on France to fight Islamism in the same way that many of its citizens resisted Adolf Hitler.

In a statement following the jihadi-inspired attack in Nice on Thursday night, in which a man of Tunisian origin killed 84 people when he drove a truck into the crowds celebrating Bastille Day, Mr Mergui said: “Like the United States and Israel, whose population is also affected by this new type of unconventional warfare on a global scale, our country must resist Islamism, this new denier of human rights, today’s Nazis.”

He added: “The hijacking of a truck and making it a weapon of war shows once again that the enemies of democracy will stop at nothing to bring death, chaos and terror, with the sole objective of imposing their jihadist vision jihadist on the world.”

The attacker was 31 years old, known to police, but not previously linked to jihadist groups. He was named locally as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel.

Many are linking the attack to a 2014 audio message from Daesh spokesman, Mohammed al-Adnani, who urged followers to stage all manner of attacks. "If you can't detonate a bomb or fire a shot, manage by yourself... run them over with your car," he said.