The national ceremony in tribute to the victims of the Nice attack is also an opportunity for a deep reflection on terrorism that goes beyond its barbaric acts, trying to place it in its proper factual dimension.
A first assertion: terrorism will be defeated. Even though it is indeed one of the major dangers in the lives of the French people, democratic values will prevail because terrorism is the attack of the weak against the strong.
Terrorism spreads anxiety, wounds the victims and their loved ones, the murders by its sacrificial legions are unbearable… but its impact is minimal in the relevant context, and it has achieved no strategic results apart from fueling fears.
Against a backdrop of societal division, political leaders are increasingly proposing new security measures that part of the public demands.
However, the essence of this lamentable escalation is more related to electoral motivations: Islamophobia is becoming widespread, and many politicians place this pseudo-identity theme at the heart of the 2017 presidential campaign.
The discourse on Islam being “incompatible with the Republic” was initially the hallmark of the far right, but it has long since spread to a large part of the mainstream right.
In fact, elected officials from all sides, both national and local, are giving in to all security demands and succumbing to the myth of situational deterrence, while the key lies in anticipation through intelligence and investigative police work.
The right question is not how to react once the danger is already present, but how to foresee it and stop it beforehand.
Finally, it must be acknowledged and understood that no weapon and no technology can sustainably protect against people who are determined to commit suicide while killing others.
Politicians have the responsibility to have a collective vision and to assert loudly and clearly that being French is neither a skin color nor a religion.
