Chilling wind of change is in the air
As the tears dry and the earth settles on the graves of the slain, an ill wind now blows across most of Europe.
It carries with it a dread mix of fear, suspicion, xenophobia and revenge.
The rampage in Paris was a wake up call.
Breeding resentment and radicalisation is growing among young French Muslims, disenfranchised, unemployed, alienated and living in suburban squalor.
The attacks only further marginalised this section of the community, but Charlie Hebdo’s mocking of the Prophet Mohammed on their new front cover enraged almost every moderate Muslim and was probably the stupidest thing they could have done.
Talk about fanning the flames of hatred – this was pouring petrol on them.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for defending free speech – but this was a crass and insensitive way to go about it.
As for double standards being exercised by the authorities both in France and here in the UK, it’s outrageous!
French Muslim comedian Dieudonné makes disparaging remarks on social media about hypocrisy and he is banged up on terror charges. Yet in France Charles Hebdo, and anyone else for that matter, is allowed to mock and satirise Islam with no fear of arrest or punishment.
Then there were the des- pots and rulers of Arab fiefdoms marching hand in hand with Western leaders “defending” free speech.
Freedom of speech? No – freedom of hypocrisy!
Our own Government is now cynically using the attacks to justify the introduction of even more antiterror laws claiming our intelligence services need the tools to do the job when in fact they have enough.
Same in France which is rushing through all manner of intrusive legislation which goes against the very grains of freedom.
Across Europe both Muslim radicalisation and the far right are rising. Division, hatred and fear amongst once vibrant, multi-ethnic communities is now festering away.
There will be more attacks, more terror, more laws as those who went to Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan come home to carry out their murderous attacks.
Self serving and hypocritical Governments are either too craven or too stupid to deal with this ever growing problem.
There seems to be no collective response or strategy in place other than the introduction of more intrusive and ineffective antiterror laws – measures which acerbate the problem by dividing and alienating individuals and communities and turning them against the system that is sworn to protect them.
It seems to me the terrorists are winning and the chilling ill wind they bring with them is slowly turning into a hurricane.
They are making the West look like proper Charlies.
Against grain of freedom