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According to French police, one of those killed in Thursday’s attack in Nice was a woman who had her throat slit.
– It takes place in a context where the confrontation has only escalated, says Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism researcher at the Swedish National Defense College.
The context is a France that has a very strong secular politics, which causes tensions within the country. It’s about, among other things, whether you can wear a burqa, and no compromises are made, says Ranstorp.
– Besides that, you have a cartoon crisis in the French vintage. It’s not new, but it can trigger extreme violence.
Erdogan Cartoon Drawing
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened legal and diplomatic action against France and the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo after the newspaper published a cartoon depicting Erdogan in late October.
Thursday’s knife attack is the second of a similar type in just a few weeks. On October 16, the teacher Samuel Paty was assassinated and beheaded. The event took place shortly after Paty showed Muhammad cartoons during a lesson on freedom of expression.
– Two neck cuts in a short time, generates a radicalization and polarization in society. The purpose is to create reactions and create wars between different groups in society, says Ranstorp.
Eye of the storm
France is the eye of the storm when it comes to the confrontation between secular society and Islamist separatism, according to the terrorist investigator. He does not think the conflict will escalate.
– It won’t spin. We can certainly see more such attacks in France.
Ellinor Knoxborn / TT
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