Paris; Totally Expected, No Surprise, Guess What Next?
The horrific Paris terrorist attacks have been met with shock and panic. In truth though, surprise would not a word used by the French people themselves. However, politicians and the media stand united in one thing – capitalising on events. In the unforgettable words of Winston Churchill “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
The latest terror attack was the worst in France’s history, turning 2015 into the deadliest year in terms of terror attacks on French soil with six such events killing at least 150 (129+ in the latest Paris atrocity) and injuring at least 500 overall.
2014 saw three attacks and only four attacks combined over the previous ten years.
It brings back memories of the 1980’s where 35 individual terror attacks in France took place over a decade where 82 people were killed and 1023 were injured. 24 of those terror attacks were attributed to organisations with middle eastern connections such as Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) and the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions or FARL.
In the past twelve months France has suffered the following;
- 21st August – train stabbing and attempted mass shooting.
- June 26th – a 35-year-old delivery driver named Yassin Salhi, a radical Islamist, decapitated his boss and attempted to carry out an apparent suicide attack on a gas factory near Lyon.
- April 19th -Unsuccessful attack against 2 churches in Villejuif by an Algerian jihadist.
- Feb 3rd – 3 military men, guarding a Jewish community center in Nice, are attacked by Moussa Coulibaly.
- 8th Jan – January 2015 Île-de-France attacks, a mass shooting at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo office in Paris.
- Dec 22nd 2014 – 2014 – Nantes attack. A man yelling “Allahu Akbar” ran over 10 pedestrians with his vehicle, killing one, then attempted suicide.
- Dec 21st 2014 – Dijon attack. A man yelling “Allahu Akbar” ran over 11 pedestrians with his vehicle.
- Dec 20th 2014 – Joué-lès-Tours attack. A man yelling “Allahu Akbar” attacked a police office with a knife. He was killed and 3 police officers were injured.
The French have a long history in meddling in Middle Eastern regions, very particularly in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq that came with the defeat and subsequent partitioning of the Ottoman empire nearly 100 years ago. Algeria is another sore that simmers in France – Charlie Hebdo was attacked by two men of Algerian descent – this latest one is likely to have the same involvement.
With the foiled attack in August on a train from from Amsterdam to Paris, the French government decided on intervention in Syria, which it began by bombing an Islamic State training camp. This was always going to be a dangerous political strategy knowing that terror attacks at home were likely to increase. These attacks were fully expected by the French security services.
The latest attacks come as no surprise at all to the French people though;
From CBN News “When I was in interviewing experts in Paris after the Charley Hebdo and Kosher Supermarket killings in January, it was clear to me, and it should have clear to anyone who saw my story, that the French government had not learned its lesson and that there would be another massacre; that it was only a matter of time.”
From FrenchLocal “I think what has happened was unfortunately something we were expecting. We knew there would be more attacks,” Jean-Charles Brisard, chairman at the Paris-based Centre for Analysis of Terrorism, told The Local.”
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The BostonGlobe – “the shootings at the Charlie Hebdo offices had left Paris residents wondering when the next act of terrorism would hit their city”
John Ward, TheSlog from France “I would say that categorically that they (the public) do not share the sense of horrified shock being played out by the media here, in the UK, or the US. None of them seemed surprised.”
As if to underline the expectation of an attack by ISIS – The Daily Express in Britain reported on September 10th that a “Syrian operative claimed more than 4,000 covert ISIS gunmen had been smuggled into western nations – hidden amongst innocent refugees. The ISIS smuggler, who is in his thirties, revealed the ongoing clandestine operation is a complete success.
“Just wait,” he smiled. The Islamic State operative spoke exclusively to BuzzFeed on the condition of anonymity and is believed to be the first to confirm plans to infiltrate western countries.”
Zero hedge goes one step further to even make a prediction “Which means that as part of the refugee crisis in which tens of thousands of innocent Syrians have been displaced and seeking European asylum, it was only a matter of time before one or more was “found” to be ISIS terrorists in order to perpetuate the fear and crisis narrative. A crisis which Brussels would never go to waste.”
The NewObserver reported on September 9th “An ISIS terrorist posing as an “asylum seeker” has been arrested by German police in a “refugee” center in Stuttgart, and German customs officers have seized boxes containing Syrian passports being smuggled into Europe.”
And behold, from Bloomberg 1600 hrs GMT yesterday “The Syrian passport found next to the body of one of the suicide bombers in Paris yesterday was registered on the Greek island of Leros, the Greek government said, suggesting that the holder came into Europe claiming to be a political refugee”
What can we expect now. First, the condemnations from political leaders involved in the fight in Iraq and Syria against ISIS.
- President Obama expressed America’s readiness to stand with the French nation: “We are reminded in this time of tragedy that the bonds of liberté and égalité and fraternité are not only values that the French people care so deeply about, but they are values that we share.”
- David Cameron, “Your values are our values. Your pain is our pain. Our fight is our fight and together we will defeat these terrorists.”
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel “We, your German friends, we feel so close to you,” . “We will help you lead the fight against terror, which has done something so unimaginable to you.”
- Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau conveyed his nation’s unwavering support, referring to France as Canada’s “French cousin” and pledging “all possible assistance.” (Having just been voted in to pull out Canadian forces).
- Russian President Vladimir Putin “This tragedy has become another testimony of terrorism’s barbarity, which poses a challenge to human civilisation.”
- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “Those terrorist groups that committed the Paris crimes do not believe in ethical principles and they are not loyal to any type of divine religions — including Islam,” (The Iranian leader has since cancelled a previously planned trip to France).
- China’s president, Xi Jinping, spoke of “these tragic times for the French people” and condemned “in the strongest ways this barbarous act”.
Second, we will see a heavy increase in battle activity in Iraq and Syria as the world continues to get dragged in what many commentators feel is turning into the beginnings of a global conflict as world super-powers claim different sides.
Global Research headlined in August that “Obama Heads For Full Scale War In Syria – Belligerent comments from Washington suggest full-scale war may be imminent.”
Third, Increased Internet surveillance and tighter border checks are inevitable. “They are “urgently” needed to foil jihadist attacks of the sort that rocked Paris this week, European, US and Canadian security ministers” reported BusinessInsider within 24 hours of the attacks.
Britain will now take the opportunity to enforce “the most intrusive surveillance regime in the west.”
Again as ZeroHedge pointed out on September 11th “Certainly expect a version of Europe’s Patriot Act to emerge over the next year, when the old continent has its own “September 11″ moment, one which will provide the unelected Brussels bureaucrats with even more authoritarian power.”
Fourth, the popularity of Marine Le Pen‘s right wing National Front party will rise as a result of the security concerns. Hollande will now see a fall in popularity for having failed to secure Paris.
There are now 57 ‘nationalist’ political parties that have emerged in Europe over the last few years holding 867 political seats of power much to the alarm of unelected European bureaucrats.
Paris now tops the list as the most dangerous city in the west and unbelievably sits at No 21 – right next to the top 20 most dangerous cities in the world that is populated largely by Iraq and Afghanistan.
What is surprising is the impressive speed with which evidence such as passports is found, instant arrests made, accusations made and policy decisions executed, which stands in stark contrast to the apparent impotence of the police and security forces to interrupt them in the weeks and months before they happened.
It appears “world leaders” have learned nothing from the conflicts of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya turning them into failed states that in the end creates even more fearless hydra-like evils such as ISIS whose raisons d’être is ever more terrifying ways of killing. Having created refugees out of millions of desperate people – what were politicians expecting?
Graham Vanbergen – TruePublica