France suffers yet again; ISIS terrorist shot dead in Paris attack was a known extremist arrested two months ago for threatening to kill police, previously he had served 15 years for trying to murder two officers, he murdered a policeman and seriously injured two others before his end

Dear All

The ‘War on Terror’ has been fought for many years, to most people, the war was fought out in the streets, cities and towns in the Middle East and Afghanistan, it was a distant war.

A war that was too remote until now!

France has suffered greatly due to terrorism; the first Paris attacks sent shockwaves through the country, then the Nice attack, which left a nation angry again at the political failure to protect its citizens.

Yet again, France is reeling after an Islamic self radicalised terrorist decided to go on a murder spree.

Here is a sample of what the France has endured.

7-9 Jan 2015 - Two Islamist gunmen storm the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 17 people. Another Islamist militant kills a policewoman the next day and takes hostages at a Jewish supermarket in Paris. Four hostages are killed before police shoot the gunman dead. The other two gunmen are cornered and killed by police in a siege.

13 Nov 2015 - IS jihadists armed with bombs and assault rifles attack Paris, targeting the national stadium, cafes and Bataclan concert hall. The co-ordinated assault leaves 130 people dead, and more than 350 wounded.

13 Jun 2016 -A knife-wielding jihadist kills a police officer and his partner at their home in Magnanville, west of Paris. He declares allegiance to IS, and police later kill him.

14 Jul 2016 - A huge lorry mows down a crowd of people on the Nice beachfront during Bastille Day celebrations, killing 86. IS claims the attack - by a Tunisian-born driver, later shot dead by police.

26 Jul 2016 - Two attackers slits the throat of a priest at his church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, in Normandy. They are shot dead by police.

3 Feb 2017 - A machete-wielding Egyptian man shouting "Allahu akbar" attacks French soldiers at Paris's Louvre Museum - he is shot and wounded.

20 Apr 2017 - A known terror suspect opens fire at police on the Champs Elysees in Paris, killing one and wounding two. He is shot dead - and the assault is claimed by IS.

   

In this latest attack, the gunman is said to be known to security services, and deemed a threat, but despite this, he was able to get hold of weapons, plan and execute a terrorist act. The person has been named as Karim Cheurfi, 39, from the eastern Paris suburb of Chelles by the French media but the authorities haven’t as I understand confirmed this yet. One person is dead, and it is said that two others are seriously wounded, the gunman didn’t managed to get away; he was shot dead.

This case like many others will renew calls for a new direction for France to take in terms of security measures. It will put into sharp focus that Europe yet again is safe, it will also raise issues regarding freedom of movement. I believe that Europe must as a matter of priority re-instate hard borders. More must be done to stop the flow of illegal weapons across Europe coming in from places like the Balkans.

This attack may have an effect on the French Presidential election; the campaign of Marine Le Pen will certainly get a boost as she proposes to fix the problems of France and extremism within its borders. Depending on the mood of the country, France could decide that Marine Le Pen is a price worth paying if she can safeguard people.

After the attack, far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon tweeted:

"I strongly feel for the policemen killed and wounded and their families. Terrorist attacks will never go unpunished, accomplices never forgotten."

Planned events by candidates have been cancelled this Friday as a mark of respect and also security concerns.  

National Front (FN) candidate Marine Le Pen said in a press conference that France should immediately reinstate border checks and expel foreigners on security watch lists. I agree with her analysis that the border checks should be immediately reinstate; it is a measure I blogged on at the start of the migrant crisis. 

Her second proposal may find opposition from the other political parties who are scared of being seen as racist. The inaction by authorities in France and elsewhere due to lack of political will is truly shocking; it is one of the major scandals of this century. It isn’t enough to clean up the mess after a terrorist attack and make speeches of punishment; clearly what is needed is to reduce the risk.

How do you reduce the risk?

You remove the risk from society; deportation is going to become a hot topic not just in France but in other European countries as well. The political elite have failed Europe, their failure cannot be forgotten which is why they must be replaced by new political leaders.

It might be the case that if you want a safer society, you may need someone in charge who isn’t so understanding, who can set aside empathy and do what is needed to be done. The reason most of us sleep well in our beds at night is because men stand ready to do violence on our behalf, in France, the security forces shot the Paris attacker dead before he could do more harm.

Finally, Islamic terrorists want to bring the battlefield to the streets of mainland Europe where they can hide, be supported and operate in plain sight until they strike.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University