What to say after a slaughter ? What to answer to terror ? A response has been relayed on social networks since we, too, have been affected by deadly terrorist acts. The only one that is audible to me, and that I regret not to hear from our policians. And that runs in a loop in my head, since France is no longer able to offer better than liberticidal measures. Sorry, but I catch the light elsewhere :
« I have a message for those who attacked us and for those who are behind them : you will not destroy us. You will not destroy democracy and our work to make the world a better place. […] We will respond to terror with more democracy, more openness and tolerance [*]. »
This is the response of the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, to the massacre of 77 people, in Oslo and on the island of Utøya, on July 22, 2011. He is not alone, since the next day the king pursues in the same direction : I cling to the belief that freedom is stronger than fear. I cling to the belief in an open Norwegian democracy and society. I cling to the belief in our ability to live freely and safely in our own country.
Echoing these words of Benjamin Franklin, our leaders seem to forget : Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
But never naivity
Some people believe this answer is naive. Dangerously angelic. Even this opening, too permissive, let barbarism enter. We must fear. To protect ourselves. Strengthen security, controls, borders, beware of migrants and better arm the police, or even the citizens, restore the death penalty and bump these son of a b…
Thus the French far-right claims that the problem is not the massacre but the "naivety" of the Norwegian government, its tolerance and openness, and the society that as a result, peaceful and multicultural.
On the contrary, it’s here, in the accusation of naivety, in those thoughts dictated by the fear of danger, lies what nourishes enmities and gradually radicalises the minds, at the risk of the worst. If we allow these ignoble phrases to go into our speeches, if we let this idea that Europe of today can not be a multicultural society, then we all make the bed of those who do the most horrible. […] We create the climate where lunatics, crazies, can act in this way.
said Green MP Daniel Cohn-Bendit during a lively exchange in the European Parliament in September 2011.
It is naïve to believe, like kids, that violence respond to violence. That we must respond to blows by hitting harder. That the answer to these bloody massacres can be the firmness advocated by our president, with the reinforcement of security controls, the closing of borders and even, already, punitive bombings in Syria, engaging us in the spiral of overbid… Don’t be so naive ! Don’t fall into the terrorist trap : don’t let fear, anger, feelings, dictate your reactions. Don’t lower us to their level.
The Norwegian Prime Minister’s speech - let us hear it and learn from it - is available in full on video (with English subtitles and official transcript). It ended with these words :
That the answer to violence is even more democracy.
Even more humanity.
But never naivity.
That is something we owe the victims and their families.
Young people mixing
« We’re interested in socialism and fascinated by the Scandinavian model. » says Natia Chkhetiani, survivor of Utøya, who came from Georgia to settle in Norway, to live the Nordic model : « I wanted to understand and participate to move forward. » The victims and survivors of Utøya were young people, like the multicultural societies that exist in Europe. Like the survivors and victims of the recent attacks, which today brings the death to Paris : French, Chilean, Algerian, Spanish, Romanian… Young people who gather, happy to be together, meet each other, fall in love. Young people mixing.
This is the reality of today’s Europe. I want to continue living in peace with those around me. Whites, blacks, yellows, Arabs, those who pray and those who booze, those who are veiled and those who dye their hair in blue
testifies Armance Ageorges, survivor of the Bataclan. She asks us :
Say no to the government when it tries to take liberticidal and horrific emergency measures for those who will be the victims.
More openness
The problem is our fear. Legitimate. Human. How do we calm fear ? In comforting. By opening the door. As so many Parisians spontaneously did on this terrible night. The problem is our fears, on the other, on the stranger, on the danger. They are defused by more openness and humanity. In welcoming.
Open the door is not naive. But lucid. And determined to live in a free country. Personally, I am much less afraid of attacks than of the failure of our fraternity, third word, remember it, of our motto. It would put a damn on our Republic. Don’t give them this victory.
Vos commentaires
1. Le 16 novembre 2015 à 13:40, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Tiens, Jean-Luc Mélenchon tweete de même :
2. Le 17 novembre 2015 à 15:14, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Il ne faut dit l’ancien premier ministre, Dominique de Villepin, avant-hier sur RTL (via Carnet de notes). Et avant : Six minutes d’intelligence et de lucidité, à réécouter : Quand Dominique de Villepin s’opposait à la « guerre » contre l’Etat islamique, sur France 2, en septembre 2014.
3. Le 17 novembre 2015 à 22:42, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Au lendemain de son discours martial au Congrès, le président français Hollande délivre un discours « supplément d’âme » à l’Unesco :
4. Le 18 novembre 2015 à 23:53, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Romain Berjon appelle nos élus à entendre le cri sourd du pays qui (via Open Time)
5. Le 19 novembre 2015 à 12:11, par Nakiloe
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Merci de savoir dire ce que je pense et que je n’arrivais pas à exprimer :)
6. Le 19 novembre 2015 à 14:03, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Encore une variante de cette citation : pour tweeter la prise de position de la députée du Calvados, Isabelle Attard : Nul, par la guerre, ne devient grand :
7. Le 19 novembre 2015 à 16:36, par Gaël Poupard
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Je n’ai qu’une chose à dire :
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
8. Le 19 novembre 2015 à 17:24, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Modifier notre Constitution sur injonction de Daech, c’est donner aux terroristes la victoire qu’ils espèrent, dit le juriste Jean-Pierre Dubois :
9. Le 20 novembre 2015 à 21:00, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
Seuls 6 députés ont gardé assez de lucidité pour voter contre l’état d’urgence et la révision constitutionnelle (et s’en expliquent dans Slate.fr) : Pouria Amirshahi, Barbara Romagnan, Isabelle Attard, Gérard Sebaoun, Sergio Coronado et Noël Mamère, sans oublier l’abstention de Fanélie Carrey-Conte.
10. Le 22 mars 2016 à 23:57, par Romy Têtue
En réponse à : Plus d’ouverture
La Belgique est aujourd’hui le vingtième pays touché par le terrorisme islamiste.
Alors que la France continue de piaffer, comme un gosse, que nous sommes en guerre, d’attiser les haines, certains interrogeant même la « naïveté » belge… Tandis que la France s’enfonce dans l’arrogance belliqueuse, autrement plus digne, le roi Philippe invite les Belges à « continuer de travailler ensemble calmement, sûrement et avec dignité. Nous devons continuer à nous faire confiance. C’est notre force. » La Suède se distingue encore, en la personne de son premier ministre, Stefan Löfven : « C’est une attaque contre l’Europe démocratique. Nous n’accepterons jamais que des terroristes agressent nos sociétés ouvertes. »
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