At Least 120 Dead in Paris Attacks

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...ris-attacks/story-DXil6MxBWHSfdKSY5fgLlM.html

Full text of French President Hollande’s address after Paris attacks

Reuters, Paris | Updated: Nov 14, 2015 06:46 IST

Following is a translation of the televised address by President Francois Hollande during the deadly attacks in Paris on Friday:

“My dear compatriots,

As I speak, terrorist attacks of unprecedented proportions are underway in the Paris area. There are dozens killed, there are many injured. It is a horror.

We have, on my decision, mobilised all forces possible to neutralise the terrorists and make all concerned areas safe. I have also asked for military reinforcements. They are currently in the Paris area, to ensure that no new attack can take place. I have also called a cabinet meeting that will be held in a few minutes.

Two decisions will be taken: a state of emergency will be declared, which means that some places will be closed, traffic may be banned, and there will also be searches which may be decided throughout Ile de France (greater Paris). The state of emergency will be proclaimed throughout the territory (of France).

The second decision I have made is to close the borders. We must ensure that no one enters to commit any crimes and that those who have committed the crimes that we have unfortunately seen can also be arrested if they should leave the territory.
This is a terrible ordeal which once again assails us.

We know where it comes from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are.

In these difficult moments, we must - and I’m thinking of the many victims, their families and the injured - show compassion and solidarity. But we must also show unity and calm.

Faced with terror, France must be strong, it must be great and the state authorities must be firm. We will be.

We must also call on everyone to be responsible.

What the terrorists want is to scare us and fill us with dread. There is indeed reason to be afraid. There is dread, but in the face of this dread, there is a nation that knows how to defend itself, that knows how to mobilise its forces and, once again, will defeat the terrorists.

French citizens, we have not completed the operations. There are still some that are extremely difficult. It’s at this moment that the security forces are staging an assault, especially in a place in Paris.

I ask you to keep all your trust in what we can do with the security forces to protect our nation from terrorist acts.

Long live the Republic and long live France.”
 
I am surprised no one is raising the most pressing question at this time of the real life coverage: are the attackers still at large? Only 3 attackers are reported dead upon "resolving" the hostage situation at Bataclan . It's just 1 location (the deadliest) out of 7. What about other 6? Anyone reads any news about other attackers?

Too soon to tell, I guess. If the french state had any useful information on who planned this and how, It'd have been prevented. They must be working on figuring that out even now.

On which side though? Just dropping more bombs together with Obama? Or Putin? Or helping Assad? The Kurds can't do all the groundwork by themselves... And what happens afterwards? Who'll be holding the ground when the fighting is over?

This is going to be hard.

It's not too late for saving a secular Syria. It is too late for Libya - courtesy of the french government. Hard are the daily lives of the millions of poor sods who were "liberated" there and left to live permanently in the same situation now briefly experienced by the parisians.
 
Looks like the current generation of terrorists has taken a few pages from the IRA playbook & the playbook of American mass shooters.
 
It's less Islam and more the terrorists. Back during the Crusades Christians were promised the same thing.

Please. Give us all a break. Love your enemy in the most holy part of the most holy Christian scripture (Gospel) vs second (first if you skip the opening) surah of Quran "Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. "

"If they fight with you" -- that's all you need for the whole world go blind. If you need holy excuse -- that's the excuse. Nay, it's the directive, holy obligation. Those who don't fight are bad Muslims. One needed a POPE to completely distort a message in order to send people despite the Message of a Fonder with no military history. One just needs military history of the Prophet and couple of pages into Quran to feel a holy obligation to punish "crusaders". No bigger than life religious authority is needed. Don't compare electron with the positron.
 
Earlier on FNC the Pentagon reporter said (IIRC) that there were at least 24 total needed to pull off this operation. Hopefully the French police are able to get the one captured to squeal.
 
<irresponsible Gingrich statement>

Words fail me
The man is making a plea to be declared clinically insane.
What did they die for? I don't understand how this could help anybody. It's just all so mindless, it hurts.
Yes, it's madness. A death of the brain. Kill and die killing. And take as many as you can with you.
It boils my blood to see politicians make a mockery out of Americans by doing crap like that.

We're not like that. Please don't think we're like that.
We make an effort and give you the benefit of the doubt. But your ruling class and large sectors of your populace really try our patience…
 
Clearly, the most important thing right now is to pick up the pieces and render aid to those who need it. This is not the time for politics and for people to point the finger at their favorite political enemy as the target of blame, as many in this thread have done. Beyond that, the Allies and the rest of the world need to come together to figure out a rational response to these acts of violence and figure out what we can do collectively to curtail them.

At some point, we have to be honest with ourselves, though. If continue to allow people to come in from the Middle East and other areas around the globe, while the vast majority are going to be good, honest, hard-working people, there will certainly be some among them that either are or will turn into the terrorists that commit these heinous crimes. I sympathize with the plight of refugees and other desperate individuals in war-torn nations, but I would not trade 160 Frenchmen for the lot of them, much less 160 Americans. Call me a right-winger if you like, but we need to take care of our own first. This is unacceptable.
 
At some point, we have to be honest with ourselves, though. If continue to allow people to come in from the Middle East and other areas around the globe, while the vast majority are going to be good, honest, hard-working people, there will certainly be some among them that either are or will turn into the terrorists that commit these heinous crimes. I sympathize with the plight of refugees and other desperate individuals in war-torn nations, but I would not trade 160 Frenchmen for the lot of them, much less 160 Americans. Call me a right-winger if you like, but we need to take care of our own first. This is unacceptable.

Extremism has existed in the west since before these refugee waves. Being so reactionary displays a very short-sighted perspective on the situation.
 
Re:someone mentioning a fire in Calais being started as retaliation, since no one has clarified it yet:

We have been hearing a lot of reports out of Calais about a fire, and just want to put your minds at ease: our sources indicate that there was a small fire that got out of hand, it appears to have destroyed around 40 homes but no-one was injured.

We will of course keep our eyes on the ground for any developments.

Calais' Facebook page
 
@Tigranes: You can waste a lot of time discussing the philosophy of war according to various religions, but the fact remains that wars are motivated by individual ambitions. Religion, when it plays a role, is just a recruiting tool for the leaders of wars.
People don't wage war because their religion tells them to: wars are organized activities with political goals. People ware wars for power. Every army knows the value of knocking out the enemy leaders, if you want an example of the universal truth of this.
Incidentally, terrorism is not war and it would be a good thing if that expression "war on terrorism" was buried.

@abradley: I wouldn't take any such claims seriously just now. How can they know?
 
Is there any word on where the attackers might be from? I ask because if it turns out they were refugees from Syria, then I wonder what kind of impact this attack will have on EU members letting future refugees from Syria into their nations?
 
Extremism has existed in the west since before these refugee waves. Being so reactionary displays a very short-sighted perspective on the situation.

So, you contend that we should not address the threat of radical Islamic terrorism due to the dubious inference that other acts of extremism cannot be prevented?
 
I'll abide with Camikaze's asking us to not bicker.
 
Clearly, the most important thing right now is to pick up the pieces and render aid to those who need it. This is not the time for politics and for people to point the finger at their favorite political enemy as the target of blame, as many in this thread have done. Beyond that, the Allies and the rest of the world need to come together to figure out a rational response to these acts of violence and figure out what we can do collectively to curtail them.

At some point, we have to be honest with ourselves, though. If continue to allow people to come in from the Middle East and other areas around the globe, while the vast majority are going to be good, honest, hard-working people, there will certainly be some among them that either are or will turn into the terrorists that commit these heinous crimes. I sympathize with the plight of refugees and other desperate individuals in war-torn nations, but I would not trade 160 Frenchmen for the lot of them, much less 160 Americans. Call me a right-winger if you like, but we need to take care of our own first. This is unacceptable.

Interesting second sentence given the remainder of the post.

From my understanding of right wing America, Hollande has kept France safe.
 
So, you contend that we should not address the threat of radical Islamic terrorism due to the dubious inference that other acts of extremism cannot be prevented?

Please bold where I said that and I would be glad to respond to your question.
 
I am really astonished that in the age of the most sophisticated and wide spread government spying in human history thus far -- no one, I repeat, no one was able to intercept anything about an operation of such an unprecedented scale. Why, just why. :espionage::espionage::espionage:
It's better prevented with good old fieldwork and undercover agents. When perpetrators are found on a stage of planning and preemptively fed with polonium or something like that. The latest wave of immigrants made prevention very difficult I suppose.
 
Interesting second sentence given the remainder of the post.

Radical Islamic terrorists are not a political enemy. They are an enemy of an entirely different kind and clearly those directly responsible for this attack. Do not be intentionally obtuse. You know exactly what I meant.
 
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