Nice attacks strike fear across the world
LAST week’s terror attack in France was nothing short of a living nightmare. Dozens and dozens of lives were stolen and for what cause? Every single one of those people were enjoying a simple evening of celebrations, only to have it destroyed as some sick individual.
This most recent Islamic State (IS) attack has disgusted and appalled the world and taken the lives of innocent people.
The coward behind this who was reportedly recently radicalised had never come on the French intelligence radar. Whether he was a ‘ lone wolf ’ of not, it makes no difference to those who perished in the atrocity and to those whose lives will never be the same again.
To be motivated by such hatred and violence that he carried out this crazed act is enough to chill your bones. To us in Ireland, we often feel far removed from such atrocities and we can only hope that we are never victim to them.
However, the comments of Minister Frances Fitzgerald this week in relation to suspected jihadists are welcome. The Minister had pledged that anyone suspected of being involved with extremism is to be deported even if a criminal prosecution would not be possible. When it comes to terror attacks and suspects there can be no complacency and if there are suspects living in Ireland they must not be allowed to remain in this country.
Anyone who poses even the most minuscule threat to our country cannot be allowed to operate without the authorities stepping in.
It is the responsibility of our state to protect our people and just one look at what happened in France brings home how real the terror threat is in the world at present.
It would appear that nowhere is really one hundred per cent safe from such terror attacks, whether from an organised operation or a so called ‘ lone wolf ’.
The damage that one sick, cowardly individual can wreak on defenceless people is far too great to ignore.
How can this attack be justified - the massacre of children, families, people just enjoying life and not harming anyone.
Since last year’s Paris attacks, France has done all it can to be brave and reassure its citizens and visitors but what happened in Nice has opened the wounds once again and they will never fully heal.