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At the worst possible moment, when Europe is ravaged by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, a second “disease” struck the Old Continent again: that of terrorism.
In less than twenty days, two European countries, France and Austria, have been the victims of terrorist attacks, marking a new difficult period for Europe’s relations with extremist Islamist regimes.
BREAKAGE: Active shooter in or near synagogue in Vienna, Austria; casualty reports pic.twitter.com/GmNLJWl6i2
– BNO News (@BNONews) November 2, 2020
Just thirteen days after the beheading of Professor Samuel Patti, terror struck again in France last Thursday with a knife attack on Notre Dame Cathedral in central Nice. The drama ended on Monday night in Vienna, where, according to early reports, a deadly terrorist attack took place.
Many Islamic countries have found a ruthless enemy in the person of Emanuel Macron on the occasion of the anti-Muhammad cartoon case. The boycott of French products continues in Qatar and Kuwait, following a call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while protests against France and Macron continue in many countries.
Indeed, the French president became a target of Al Qaeda, with the jihadist organization Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (Aqmi) today calling on its supporters to kill anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad and threatens French President Emmanuel with vengeance.
Why is there an attack on Austria now?
On the eve of the total blockade in Austria, the hitherto unknown perpetrators chose to attack in the center of the capital.
It was preceded on Friday, October 30, by an attack by young Turks on the church of St. Anthony in the 10th district (Favoriten) of Vienna.
According to Austrian media, between 30 and 50 children of Turkish descent entered the church and started shouting “Allahu akbar” and destroying benches and utensils. No one was injured in the incident, and youths reportedly gathered that same day in a square shouting “Islamic slogans” and setting off fireworks.
The attack was linked to the Mohammed sketches case and was strongly condemned by Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz.
In particular, the Austrian chancellor wrote on Twitter that his government will not tolerate religious extremism and emphasized that all Christians in the country must be able to “practice their faith freely and safely.”
All Christians should be in #Austria you can exercise your faith freely and safely! We will resolutely continue the fight against political Islam and we will not show false tolerance here.
Thanks to all the policemen for their commitment! https://t.co/1Psz3C82vn– Sebastián Kurz (@sebastiankurz) October 30, 2020
Kurtz’s tough stance on the East is well known: Austria has repeatedly refused to host refugees from the Greek islands, while Sebastian Kurtz is a strong supporter of sanctions against Turkey over his challenges to the EU.
France-Islam relations are at a disadvantage
It all started with the beheading of Professor Samuel Pati on October 16 by a young Chechen man because he had shown his students sketches of the Prophet Muhammad during a lesson.
Macron said France, in the name of freedom of expression, would not give up the sketches, sparking a wave of backlash in the Muslim world. In fact, Charlie Hebdo sketches appeared on the facades of buildings in France.
The expression of the anger of the Islamic countries became Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who in any case has been for years against Emanuel Macron on many issues. Erdogan therefore called for a boycott of French products, a call that was heard by countries such as Qatar and Kuwait. He even commented that his French counterpart has “psychosis” with him.
The French president responded bluntly: instead of condemning Erdogan’s extremism, he waged a “war” against Islam. He spoke in support of the Alliance of America, but said maintaining some independence was not the answer. “Islam is in crisis all over the world,” he said.
Tens of thousands of people have protested against France in recent days in many Arab and Muslim countries. Some burned French flags and mannequins of the French president.
The terrorist attack in the center of Nice followed, where three people were fatally stabbed by a 21-year-old inside the city’s cathedral.
After that, Emanuel Macron lowered his tone, but did not change his attitude, which has angered the Muslim world.
“France has no problem with any religion! France is fighting terrorism in the name of Islam, not Islam itself. The French state has no official religion. French society welcomes them all.” Therefore, all of them French women and all French people should be able to live in peace, regardless of their religious beliefs, “Macron told Al Jazeera in an effort to send a message of de-escalation and peace.
Macron’s message on the attack in Vienna
Emanuel Macron expressed his support for the people of Austria through Twitter.
“We, the French, share the shock and pain of the Austrian people who were struck tonight by an attack in the heart of the capital Vienna. After France, a friendly country was attacked. It is our Europe. Our enemies need to know who they’re dealing with. “We won’t back down,” he wrote.
We, the French, share the shock and pain of the Austrian people beaten tonight by an attack in the heart of their capital, Vienna. After France, a friendly country is attacked. This is our Europe. Our enemies must know who they are dealing with. We will not give up.
– Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 2, 2020
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