European ParliamentInterviewsParliamentary Questions
Dimitrios Papadimoulis: «Fascism of jihadists feeds far-right in Europe. We should stand united»
Talking to Real FM radio station earlier today, about recent terrorist attacks in Brussels, SYRIZA MEP and Vice President of the European Parliament, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, made the following statements:
«All evidence indicates that this is an organized terrorist attack. According to what I hear from the experts, I would say that it must be a response by some other terrorist-core, to the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, four days ago.
Additional security measures have already been taken not only in Brussels, but all over the European countries. The worries and the fear are increased, under the influence of this new shock and I think that this requires from all of us a greater unity and cooperation as well, than to turn over national egoism and entrenchments.
If the Intelligence Services of many countries had collaborated in a basis of a common information exchange system, preventing the risk of terrorist attacks, the Belgians who had organized the attacks in Paris would had been already arrested by the French authorities.
These persons were already identified by the Belgian police who had information about them, they had been on their radar, but there was no way that the French secret services could be informed. So, I would say that I do believe we need not to panic. Instead, we need more European collaboration on the security measures. And at the same time, we need to not make the mistake of considering every refugee as a potential terrorist or suspect for terrorism.
Moreover, the powers that be, Americans, Russians and European leaders, must find a way to bring peace in Syria. Otherwise Europe is going to live, once more, dark days.
I state all this as what I think that it should be done and not as what I think that will happen in the end. I am deeply concerned because the fascism of ISIS and of the Jihadists, who do not care about murdering innocent civilians at the metro stations, airports or shops, feeds the fear and the rise of the far-right, whose agenda is not only to close the borders and dismantle Schengen, but also destroy every chance for a united, democratic Europe».