On Friday evening, shootings and explosions in Paris were reported to have happened in six different locations including Le Bataclan concert venue during an Eagles Of Death Metal concert. Stade de France during a match against Germany, La Belle Equipe, Le Carillon and Le Petit Cambodge. At least 120 are feared dead and 200 injured. Eight attackers have also been reported dead by police, seven of which by detonating explosive suicide belts. Accomplices are suspected to be at large.
Friday was also declared a national day of mourning by Lebanon after two suicide bombers killed 43 people and injured another 200 in an area in Beirut, said to be predominantly Shia. ISIL have claimed responsibility for the attack.
French President Hollande has declared France in a national state of emergency for only the fourth time since World War Two. The Islamic State has issued an official statement in French, claiming responsibility for the attacks. However, it is entirely unclear whether these were inspired or directed by the IS. Charles Winter, a security analyst, describes the statement as being "’put together hastily’’ and revealing no new information.
Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body has issued a strong condemnation of the attacks in Paris. “Terrorists are not sanctioned by Islam and these acts are contrary to values of mercy it brought to the world,” a statement by the Council of Senior Scholars said.
According to the AFP, A frenchman was identified as a possible concert hall shooter. He was identified through fingerprinting, whilst the owners of the Syrian and Egyptian passports found at the scene are yet to be formally identified. German media are reporting that a man was arrested in Bavaria last week with machine guns and explosives, suggesting this could be related to the Paris attacks.
Poland has announced it will no longer take in refugees via an EU programme in a statement linked to the Paris killings. “The European Council’s decisions, which we criticised, on the relocation of refugees and immigrants to all EU countries are part of European law,” European affairs minister Konrad Szymanski wrote online. “After the tragic events of Paris we do not see the political possibility of respecting them”.
Internet warriors have also rushed to social media to blame the tragedy on the refugees residing in Europe. Over 500,000 Syrian refugees have gone to Europe, fleeing the civil war and barbaric ISIS. Even in legitimate debates about the threat assessment and the link between terrorism and refugees, fears are often exaggerated and the wrong concerns are raised.
The Islamic State urges Muslims to travel to Iraq and Syria to fight for IS and its enemies locally – not the other way round. ISIS does not urge its followers to travel to Western countries as their priorities are currently in the middle East. "’The refugees themselves, fleeing war and extremism, are not strong supporters of the most violent groups: if they were, they would have stayed in Iraq or Syria.’’ (Brookings).
The refugee crisis needs to be handled properly, as there is always a chance of refugees becoming disenfranchised, away from home and in a country that does not treat them with dignity. However, the current death toll in Syria is well over 250,000 people. To say that terror attacks are caused by the refugees – who are a product of this very terror, is equivalent to spitting on the untimely graves of the 30,000 children caught in the midst of it. Falling for a terrorists’ provocation for a race war, as many Europeans are doing, is ultimately giving the terrorists what they want; war, terror, martyrdom. With the perfect scapegoat in place, they have us blaming the wrong people and effectively keeping the cycle going. This is what these people are fleeing from, don’t let them suffer for it.
