France is at war
“This is an attack on (the entire) France.” The British “Guardian” reported that Macron issued a “gloomy but provocative” message when he visited Nice on the afternoon of the 29th.
He condemned this as an “Islamist terrorist attack” and called on national unity and not compromise to secession. “We are under attack because of our values and our love for freedom. Today, I once again make it clear that we will never give in.”
At present, France has entered the highest state of anti-terrorism alert. Macron announced on the 29th a plan to increase the number of anti-terrorist patrols from the current 3,000 to 7,000, and to protect schools and religious sites, especially the Catholic Church, because Halloween will usher in Sunday.
According to French media reports, the church attacker was 21-year-old Tunisian Brahim Avisawi who entered France illegally from Italy in October.
On the morning of the 29th, he sneaked into the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Nice with a 17 cm knife.
In about 30 minutes, he nearly “beheaded” a 60-year-old woman who was praying and a 55-year-old church sacristy “Cut the throat.” Another Brazilian woman died of serious injuries.
The police used “terror” to describe the scene at the scene. Brahim was seriously injured by the police firing 14 consecutive shots. He is still in the hospital.
“We have had enough. Now is the time to completely eradicate’Islamic fascism’ in France.” Nice Mayor Esterosi said on the 29th that the attackers shouted “ALLAH AKBAR” in the church, and the intention is beyond doubt. This is the third terrorist attack on Nice.
The BBC commented that France’s current level of terrorism threats is as high as between 2015 and 2016. It was the bloodbath of extremists at the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo.
The man drove a truck into Nice to watch the fireworks, killing 86 people, and the 84-year-old priest Ha The terrible day Moore was cut.
After the terrorist attacks, French public opinion reacted strongly, and some politicians’ speeches were quite tough. “France is already at war,” said Marina Le Pen, president of the National League, on BFM television on the 30th.
All illegal immigrants must be expelled, refugees must be completely stopped, and surveillance measures must be taken against all those with radical terrorist tendencies.
Not only did the leaders of the far-right party say so, but the Republican politicians of the traditional right-wing party in France also made similar comments.
The party’s member Chiotti told French TV station CNEWS on the 30th: “France is regarded as a weak country.” Camps like Guantanamo should be established to detain Islamic terrorists.
Melanchon, the leader of the left-wing French Unyielding Party, who has always been considered to be tolerant to Islam, also said that terrorist killings of Catholics who are praying have a strong symbolic meaning in themselves and are “an act intolerable.”
Some comments that were considered extreme in the past are now flooding the media, and French public opinion has also changed. BFM TV reported on the 30th that a series of polls showed that the French are increasingly supporting the authorities to adopt various tough response measures.
More French people also expressed support for “Charlie Hebdo”‘s mockery of the Prophet Muhammad. The French Ministry of Education stipulates that every school must observe the teacher Patty after the Halloween holiday, explain the matter to the students, and emphasize the principles of freedom of belief, speech and press.
What France needs is not incitement
On the evening of the 29th, Mahathir, the former prime minister of Malaysia, posted on social media criticizing Macron for the murder of teachers and accusing Islam and Muslims of “behaving like primitive people.”
He said, “French people have killed millions of people in history, many of them Muslims”, so Muslims “have the right to kill millions of French people.” “The Australian” stated that Nice was still in shock by the fatal terrorist attack at this time, and Mahathir’s remarks aroused great anger.
On the 30th, Mahathir accused Twitter and Facebook of deleting his posts, explaining that his intention was that Muslims have never sought revenge for injustice.
The leaders of EU countries immediately supported France and pledged to fight back “those who try to incite and spread hatred.” The United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and many other countries in the world have condemned the terrorist attacks.
The Guardian stated that the statement of the Islamic State draws a clear line between its own religion and violence that claims to defend it.
The National Broadcasting Corporation commented that the terrorist attack on Nice Cathedral occurred at a time when relations between France and the Islamic world were in tension. The 29th is Turkey’s National Day.
Many parties in the country organized party members to demonstrate outside the French Embassy in Turkey. The “Global Times” reporter saw that the crowd at the scene was emotional.
Locals posted a portrait of Macron on the ground at the entrance of the mosque, allowing the crowd to step on it. On the 30th, thousands of protesters from several South Asian countries took to the streets to express their anger at Macron. Protesters in Bangladesh burned his portrait.
According to the Russian newspaper “Viewpoint”, it is estimated that there are 6 to 10 million Muslims in France, making it the largest Muslim community in Europe. They will not agree with Macron.
“I can understand Macron’s reasons for the supremacy of freedom of speech, but why do you want to promote these ugly cartoons in schools?” said Fedorov, an expert at the Institute of European Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
This will only induce religious fanatics to take extreme measures. Russian Congressman Pushkov reminded the Mayor of Nice to pay attention to the wording of “Islamic Fascism.”
“This term reflects the resentment and anger of the French, and will be accepted by some people, but it will cause dissatisfaction with French Muslims, let alone other Islamic countries in the world.”
Bloomberg commented that France needs political talent to respond to terrorist attacks, not incitement. After Patty was killed, the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo were projected on the walls of two local government buildings in France, becoming a symbolic provocation.
While Macron reiterated his commitment to freedom of speech, he should also express the anger and anxiety of French Muslim citizens.
This split is exactly what the terrorists want
In response to the terrorist attack on the church in Nice, the representative of the French Islamic Federation issued a statement to mourn the victims and condemn terrorism.
CNN commented that the vast majority of Muslims in France do not support Islamic extremism, but they often face unfair stereotypes. “It’s entirely possible that both were shocked by the attack and thought Charlie Hebdo’s behavior was rude.”
François, a researcher at the Center for Islamic Studies, University of London, said the problem in France is that people are starting to pretend to be from Charlie Hebdo. The right to offend” is a barometer of national identity. And when the official seems to support one party, things get messier.
According to the Russian “Izvestia”, this conflict marked the beginning of Western cultural and religious confrontation.
The German “Le Monde” commented on the 30th that the excessive anger in the Islamic world shows that Macron is right, and European countries must support Macron’s policy.
The German “Times” suggested that France can choose an Islamic country to impose sanctions when necessary.
RIA Novosti quoted Lukyanov, an expert of the Russian “Valday” international debate club, as saying that the attack exposed deep social problems and contradictions in France.
The French government’s policy on freedom of speech will not change. Under such circumstances, society will be in a very difficult situation, and Islamic extremists will launch attacks in the future. CNN commented that this country is French on one side and Muslims on the other.
This split is not only incorrect, it is exactly what the terrorists want.
