Written by Amanda D. Amadea
Following the devastating Paris Attack, many countries have began to issue travel warning for their citizens planning to travel to France. The United States and Australia are amongst the first countries to erect the travel warning, concerning the ever-increasing terrorist threat in the Europe.
The attack that happened during Eagles of Death Metal concert in Bataclan Hall shed new breed of terrors in the heart of European Union. The tragedy that claimed the lives of 90 victims took place when suddenly an open-fire reeked out during the metal band’s performance. Many surviving witness admitted that they thought the sound of open-fire was part of the show, resulting to many victims not cautious enough to immediately seek coverage. Many survivors admitted that they had to seek hiding on the roof or the restroom until the law enforcers come and secure the location. On later finding, it was revealed that the attackers are Muslim French and Belgian from Middle East descent. One of the attackers which was found dead at the Bataclan was Omar Ismail Mostefai, a French man with Algerian parents, who had been reported to have radical tendencies by Turkish law enforcers after he was discovered travelling to Syria through Turkey, and purportedly engaged in illicit activity with the Islamic State. Other attacker who has been identified and found dead is Samy Amimour who was reported to have planning to go to Yemen to join the Islamic State in 2012.
The recent attack does not do any favor to the refugees of Middle East lining on the borders trying to get into Europe. Immediately after the Paris attack took place, many Europe’s nationalist parties began to recall their hard stance against the intake of Middle East refugees to Europe. For an instance, following the tragedy, the notorious France’s far-Right Front National party has enjoyed a rise in their popularity in the upcoming local election at the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (Paca). Marion Marechel-Le Pen who is the granddaughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen –the founder of the ultranationalist party— witnessed herself getting a 40% support for the region’s presidency seat, as shown by a poll carried out by Ipsos/Sopra done. Le Pen enjoys the highest vote-earner, followed by candidate from centre-right coalition earning 34% of the vote in accordance to the poll result.
With Schengen under massive fire as it is being criticized to be the weak point of European Union’s collective security (Mostefai travelled from Syria through Turkey until France undetected by Schengen). The growing anti-immigrants sentiment benefits the anti-immigration, anti-Schengen and socially conservative National Front in France. Similar stance also travels immediately following the Paris attack to other European countries. The new Prime Minister of Poland, Beata Szydlo denies the EU’s quota for Poland to take in 4,500 refugees. Without no detailed explanation on the refusal, Ms. Szydlo said, “After Paris, the situation has changed.” As reported by Daily Mail UK on November 25 2015.
In Netherlands, Britain and Belgium, the same outcry from far-Right parties came sweeping in unison. They demand the government to close their borders to more refugees. This condition has been able to worsen the crack in the European Union’s foundation, as countries are stretched upon two sides. The idea that the refugees brought into Europe is equal to bring in terrorists is nowhere helping the critical condition of rampage xenophobia in the Europe. Many are concerned by these foreign refugees, whilst all the attackers are mostly born in the Europe. Poland’s minister sudden refusal to take in refugees do not suppress the possibility of terror, otherwise it caused a spread of terror that deteriorates people’s confidence in the European Union.