Why France?

According to French politicians, the actions of the French government in terms of terrorist threats were extremely inconsistent and were clearly insufficient. Neither President Francois Hollande nor the Interior Ministry took account of the warnings that were given prior to the terrorist attack in Nice.  

Photo: AP photo

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According to lefigaro.fr, the day before the terrorist attacks in Nice, chairman of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, former mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, appealed to French President Francois Hollande demanding more resolute and effective measures to counter terrorist threats. 

In particular, Estrosi pointed to the need to protect the police and give them an opportunity to act. Alluding to the reaction from the state to the recent stabbing of two police officers, the ex-mayor said that "the time of condolences has passed, now it's time for action." To begin with, the official offered to equip every police officer with bulletproof vests.

However, Estrosi was primarily concerned about the powers of the municipal police that do not have the right to check IDs of suspicious persons. It is only the national French police that have such rights, plus a person may have to present their ID in stores, if required. 

In these circumstances, the municipal police that carry a significant, if not the main responsibility for maintaining public order in the streets, proves to be powerless and defenseless. All hopes rest on the national police, riot police and the army, but, as the bitter experience shows, they are not always able to prevent attacks.

This is indicated in the report from the parliamentary commission for evaluating the effectiveness of the fight against terrorism. The report was published on Tuesday, two days before the attack in Nice. The head of the commission that prepared the document, Georges Fenech, wrote in his Twitter, that it was a "predictable tragedy."

The official also criticized the plans and actions of national authorities, pointing out that the deployment of army patrols on the streets of French cities did not give the desired effect. For example, there were armed soldiers near Bataclan concert hall during the terrorist attacks in Paris, but they were not allowed to open fire.

According to Fenech, the results of the work of his commission were not claimed by  the authorities. He also said that he was unable to present the report to the government. "It seems that we have worked for nothing," the official said. 

In this context, the MP seriously doubts the effectiveness of the measures announced by President Hollande - the extension of the state of emergency in France. 

Why do French intelligence services make such serious mistakes? Was it possible to prevent the tragedy? Pravda.Ru asked these questions to Israeli public figures, chief of Nativ special service from 1992 to 1999, Yakov Kedmi.

"How could a terrorist drive a truck in the center of the city on the famous promenade? In Moscow, the police usually blocks streets for public events."  

"This shows the professional level of French special services and those who are supposed to struggle against terrorism, including police and gendarmerie. In addition, over 90% of terrorist attacks should be prevented at an early stage, when wold-be terrorists only begin to evince interest in issues of religious fundamentalism. The struggle against terrorism is primarily about the work of security services and their control of all the means of information, including control over potential preachers, as well as all forms of religious intolerance, fundamentalism and ethnic strife. That is what they should deal with in the first place. 

"One must take simple precautions at public events that may attract terrorists. Clearly, such areas should be very well protected against terrorists and the methods that they may use, especially transport. It appears that in France, recklessness has no limits.  

"If this is how France struggles against terrorism under the condition of a state of emergency, one may only shudder at the thought of how this miserable struggle would be conducted under the conditions of normal life when the state of emergency is lifted. Here, we deal with a perverse form of tolerance. In Europe, just like in the United States, there is a political and propaganda-driven, rather than a professional approach to terrorism. Suffice it to say that they put the Islamic State on the same place with Russia. 

"When a terrorist goes to commit a terrorist attack, it is too late. A terrorist should be detected and neutralized before he carries out his plans. He was most likely receiving instructions for the act via email or during meetings with people who share the ideology of radical islamism."

"Do you agree with those who say that France is the most vulnerable of all European states?" 

"This is how they live. The man who committed the terrorist attack in Nice was living in France for years. There are more potential terrorists in France than in other countries, because there are many Muslims living in France, and propagandists of fundamentalist Islam are very active there. They promote their ideology everywhere in Europe - from Sweden to Portugal. France is just a start. Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark may be the next. 

Pravda.Ru 

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