How EU governments instrumentalize the terror attacks

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25.11.2015 | www.kla.tv/7203

With the series of attacks on the 13th of November in Paris, presumably 8 assassins killed more than 130 people at six places in Paris. The terror militia “Islamic state” IS is supposed to have confessed responsibility for the attacks. Seven terrorists died during the attacks. Further accomplices are still being sought. The investigations led among other places to Belgium where several of the Paris assassins lived. Kla.tv reported in our previous broadcasts. The terror attacks sparked off a global wave of solidarity, fury and grief. After the first shock, however, a second wave of security measures in domestic and foreign policy was released – apparently without pausing for a second. France bombs the sovereign state Syria with even more intensity and focuses nationally on the tightening of laws and a broader state authority. In this broadcast, valued viewers, we take a closer look at the domestic measures. Opinions differ widely about whether these measures are proportionate and can prevent further attacks. The fact is that European governments were given powerful tools and authorities after the attacks to better con-trol their own people and to exert an enormous influence on public life. But first things first: Imme-diately after the attacks, French President Hollande spoke of war and declared a state of emergency in France - initially for only 12 days but then prolonging it by three months. The exceptional legis-lation allows house searches without judicial permission; terrorist suspects can be placed under house arrest without a judge’s decision. The role of the courts is set aside and important components are transferred to the police. In a further step, Hollande wants to add a kind of crisis article to the constitution, the Swiss radio and television SRF reported on November 18th . In this new consti-tutional article, the time restriction of the “state of crisis” will be removed or weakened. Bans on demonstrations were imposed. Two planned mass rallies that were supposed to take place on the occasion of the climate summit on November 30th in Paris were not permitted by the authorities. The explanation for this was: the need of avoiding any risk after the terror attacks. Democratic ex-pressive possibilities are being limited and this is an indirect victory for the terrorists, according to SRF on November 18th. Aside from this, curfews were imposed in France and the mayor of Lyon canceled the “Festival of Lights” on December 28th. Other EU countries followed suit. In Hannover, the international soccer match between Germany and Holland was canceled. According to the Ger-man online magazine “Spiegel Online”, there had been a warning by the French secret service: someone intended to plant explosives in the stadium. In Brussels, there was also supposed to be a concrete indication for a planned terror attack. However, no specific information was provided. Nevertheless, this justified the following security measures taken by the Belgian government: - The terror alert level was raised to the highest level – this applies at least until November 23rd. - The police and army presence was increased. “Brussels is like an occupied city”, SRF reported on the 23rd, of November. - The subway in the Belgian capital was completely closed. - Public life has almost come to a complete stand-still. Markets and all public events were canceled. Shopping centers and museums were ordered to remain closed. - Soccer matches and other sports events may not take place. - A music festival with 130 musicians was canceled. - Schools and universities were closed for the beginning of the week. - The media house of the Flemish group Medialaan in Vilvoorde near Brussels was evacuated because of a bomb threat. - Synagogues remained closed – the first time since World War II. It is very obvious that due to these attacks, the European governments have a tremendous instru-ment of power and have created new authority to influence public life. But how and why is this justified or should this be questioned? Honorary President of the the Human rights League, Henri Leclerc doubts that it is wise to force through such extensive measures as, for example, reforming the French Constitution because of being impressed by the immediate effects of this terror attack. A quote from Leclerc: “If we restrict our freedom, then the terrorists have won. May I remind of the the fact that it is not the goal to dis-mantle and take away our freedom, but to protect freedom.” The newspaper “Le Monde” quoted Bastien Francois, who warned that this reform opposes funda-mental rights. It is going in the direction of a French “Patriot Act”. The “Patriot Act” came into power directly after the terror attack on September 11th, 2001 in the USA and brought massive re-strictions of US citizens’ civil rights. For example the wire-tapping and monitoring rights of the FBI was widely expanded, telephone and Internet service providers have to - since 9/11 - make their data public. Home searches may be carried out without the knowledge of the persons involved. The FBI received the right to look into bank customers’ private financial data, without reasonable cause or evidence of guilt. Experts doubt that the “Patriot Act” is effective against international terrorism and conclude that the real goal of such measures is to be better able to control social unrests and uprisings in the own country. It is a fact that millions of Americans no longer believe the official explanation for the destruction of the World Trade Center towers. Here a link to one of our broad-casts on this topic. German author and freelance journalist Ernst Wolff wrote in an article from November 21st, that the measures being taken against the IS are only preparations for larger domestic social conflicts. I quote Wolff: “Especially France is - due to the Euro-crisis - under increasing economic pressure. In order to increase it’s competitive position on the World market, the country will have to reduce social benefits and services, tighten labor legislation and lower the wage niveau. All of these measures will - due to the already big social inequality in the country - cause major social opposition. This in turn can be suppressed and eliminated with the help of the already enacted laws against the right to public meetings, with more Internet surveillance and expansion of police and military authority." The other European counties as well are facing immense social problems, according to Wolff. The refugee problematic is escalating all over Europe. Torrents of refugees give rise to frustration and violence: on the one hand violence by locals against migrants and on the other hand violence amongst the refugees themselves or towards locals. Here links to related broadcasts. Regardless of how many domestic political measures the European governments are actually taking against terrorism to actively fight it, one thing is certain: since the attacks from November 13th the European governments have been given a powerful tool in their hands and new authority with which citizens protests and social unrests in the own country can effectively be controlled and sup-pressed: - public life can be influenced, freedom of speech, freedom to gather and to protest can be forbidden and undesirable citizens can be silenced. Valued viewers, go on observing this development and spread this broadcast whereever you can. I’ll close with a quote from Martin Luther King: “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

from dd.

Sources/Links: http://www.srf.ch/news/international/tage-nach-dem-terror-so-reagiert-die-grande-nation
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http://www.srf.ch/news/international/bruessel-hoechste-terrorwarnstufe-wird-verlaengert
http://www.srf.ch/sendungen/srf-4-aktuell/demonstrationen-beim-klimagipfel-wegen-terrorgefahr-verboten
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https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/46/46623/1.html