Our MEPs call to avoid abusive responses to Paris attacks & address terrorism under the rule of law

During tonight's debate on a report titled 'Prevention of radicalisation and recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organisations' GUE/NGL MEPs called on the European Parliament to avoid abusive state responses to the terrorist attacks in Paris.

GUE/NGL Shadow Rapporteur on the report, Barbara Spinelli, commented: “We must combat terrorism under the rule of law. We must guard against abusive interventions of the state. We must not copy the Americans, nor the Blair government in the UK which changed the rules in 2013 to allow torture.”

“Why are so many young people joining ISIS? We have to get to the bottom of the reasons. Since 2002, the 'War on terror' has led to radicalisation in the suburbs. In the banlieues of Paris, no investment has been made to prevent this marginalised area from being turned into a ghetto. Sarkozy even cut funding to policing in this area,” Spinelli added.  

French MEP, Marie-Christine Vergiat, also commented: “Thousands of young Europeans have gone off to fight in Syria and Iraq. How many today are ready to follow them or to commit massacres, either here or elsewhere? We must do everything we can to stop young people from taking those actions.”

“We must also know how to deal with those who come back – according to a French survey, 90 per cent of them could be valuable allies.

“By all means we must use law enforcement, but not only law enforcement. We must always remain in respect of the law and avoid all stigmatisation and generalisation of suspicion,” Vergiat concluded.

GUE/NGL Press Contact:
Nikki Sullings  +32 22 83 27 60 / +32 483 03 55 75
Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20