Portuguese MEP, Inês Cristina Zuber, explained: “The EU's deliberate strategy in the fight against terrorism is the restriction of democratic freedoms and individual liberties, based on a false dichotomy between freedom and security.”

“These measures that undermine fundamental rights and freedoms go hand-in-hand with the increasing militarisation of international relations and interference in and destabilisation of sovereign states.

“This approach feeds the growth of racist, xenophobic and fascist forces and their terrorist actions in Europe.

“Heinous crimes such as those perpetrated in Paris and those across the world require policies based on peace and respect for international law. We must put an end to interference in and aggression against sovereign states, particularly in the Middle East.”

Spanish MEP, Tania González Peñas, added: “We need to increase the effectiveness of the states' activities against terrorism and reaffirm our unquestionable commitment to democracy and our values, both within and outside our borders.”

“We need to cut the funding and logistics networks that support terrorists. We need to neutralise the networks that recruit people and improve the activities of our intelligence services. We need to support democratic forces in the Arab world and support civil society in Syria and Iraq.

“Many terrorists were born in Europe and this can only be dealt with through policies of social inclusion and education. The best way to fight extremism is to ensure that people feel that they are part of a cohesive society and that they have economic and social opportunities.”

“It is also our responsibility to protect refugees who are fleeing terror.”

German MEP, Cornelia Ernst, added: “We are not going to make one step forward in the fight against terror if we fight fire with fire. We need to identify the resources of terrorists and dry them out; not only financial resources but also transport of weapons for ISIS through Saudi Arabia.”

“We must make sure people don't support terrorists. We don't want a situation where the population supports Daesh because no-one else stands up for them. We've got to have reconciliation measures. We must stand up for basic rights. We don't want to weaken our societies even further,” Ernst concluded.

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