Italian MEP, Barbara Spinelli, told the plenary: “In France, as in America, we are witnessing a change in the form of terrorism and radicalisation.”

“While the so-called Islamic State often claims responsibility, these acts are home-grown; committed by our fellow citizens.

“We must try to understand how this transition occurred, without focussing obsessively on individual triggers such as the internet, prisons, schools and the banlieues of Paris.

“Responding with more state surveillance, less democracy, islamophobia and proxy wars is only making the situation worse.

“If policies based on fear are our response to terrorism, then terrorists will win,” warned Spinelli.

Spanish MEP, Javier Couso, added: “The combination of Islamic radicalisation and hatred against the Muslim community is explosive.”

“We have seen in the past that geopolitical destablisation has been used by some of our allies to control oil supplies and to divide and rule.

“And then there are our allies, such as Saudi Arabia, where systematic dissemination of radical Islam has led to Al-Qaeda, for example.

“We have also seen millions spent on arms exportation from the EU.

“Instead, we could have negotiated peaceful solutions within the UN and taken the approach of non-interference.

“We also need to fight against poverty and social exclusion in our own neighbourhoods where we have ghettos that extremists use as breeding grounds,” Couso concluded.

 

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