Europe’s unrest
The Belgian capital is under siege, hunting for armed cells. France, the “ville lumière” reacts differently and comes back to life. And while the population is scared, political leaders and security forces try to be reassuring by defending national territory. The question is whether this course is effective and if past mistakes will be avoided
Extra vigilance against terrorism will continue in Brussels “at least until Monday”, November 30. What will happen on December 1st? Will the danger of terrorism have been subdued, or at least, will it have waned? Belgian premier Louis Michel, under the spotlight in Europe and worldwide, is doing what he can. His Country was accused of being a “safe haven” a free zone, a “recruiting ground” for jihadism, where – it is said – terrorists have a free hand and pop up like mushrooms. A plethora of sociological, economic, anthropological analyses aim at demonstrating that, when all is said and done, law and order in Belgium are held in check, while radical extremism – with or without religious labels – has taken root.
As often happens, prospective analyses are posthumous and new prophets extend their glance backwards, instead of looking ahead.
As it happens, the Belgian government was forced to deploy all available police forces and the military to reassure a wired public opinion, worried about actual events (the attacks in Paris), events to be ascertained (blanket arrests, with the ensuing release of uninvolved people), counterproductive alarms (silent media until two days ago, now depict Belgium as the fifth column of ISIS).
Let us be clear. The dead and the wounded in Paris are the tragic reality of inhuman cruelty that makes use of force to impose who knows what vision of life, of the world, of relations between people, religions or States.
This terrorism must be countered; with intelligence, with the police forces and the military, with the law and with prison, by blocking funds that fuel armed movements.
But also through prevention, education, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, combating social hardship… Current challenges cannot be addressed with “battles of civilization”, it’s unfair to point the finger against a specific social group, a given district of Brussels cannot become a scapegoat, nor can the blame be put on a religion.
Given that we support the need for security, for the right to complete freedom and the unfaltering defense of democratic rights, some reactions at international level are hard to make sense of. For example, Brussels is in lockdown, subways and schools are closed, sport championships have been interrupted, police forces were sent to guard the territory in order to prevent further criminal activity and to track down perpetrators of violence; Paris, a city-martyr of terrorism, has invited all citizens to return to the streets and in public places, to “prove that life goes on”, that “fear has not won”, and that “France is stronger than ‘Isis’“.
Furthermore, public authorities in large European cities have decided to monitor “sensitive areas”, ranging from institutional seats to universities, from airports to monuments, including synagogues, churches and mosques; while terrorists have shown in Paris that their blind and morbid violence can strike anywhere, in order to spread a sense of unease across the population. The targets were the tables of a café, a concert hall, a square. If armored vehicles militarily occupy Molenbeek, does it mean that the inhabitants of Anderlecht or Louise, other populous areas of the Belgian capital, can sleep soundly? It’s hard to believe: a bomb in any building inhabited by 50 families would have the same effect as the Bataclan. Moreover, can security be ensured in every train (where anyone can enter without the controls performed in airports), every local market, every suburban soccer field?
Indeed, some questions are trickling through the current debates. Some have insinuated that the latest arrests in Belgium, in France and elsewhere, could be a smokescreen to appease public opinion, concerned or perhaps eager to see the face of the guilty be brought to justice.
In fact, some are asking: why wait until now to carry out targeted raids against terrorism? Why not on November 12, on the eve of the murders in Paris?We need to reaffirm a clear and definite yes to security, without frightening the population more than necessary, also to avoid fueling the phenomena of xenophobia, racism, Islamophobia, nationalism, already widespread throughout our Western societies. Because in any case one has to live!
It is also to be hoped that European fears will not trigger politically incorrect choices, with serious repercussions in the long run. September 11 was followed by the war in Iraq, with all its consequences; today we are faced with Isis and Syria: will the lessons of the past help us avoid future mistakes?
