Vsevolod Chaplin: ‘After terrorist attacks in Europe they will have to slaughter some sacred cows’

'Accustomed' to attacks

The discussions about the causes and consequences of the recent Brussels attacks are gradually subsiding. Most people probably have decided: they can move on and live peacefully. It has been more than once for the last time – for example, after the terrorist attacks in 2005 in London and recently in Paris.

The first reaction was a shock, the second one — is sorrow and prayer. Then there was the search for the culprits among local politicians, and later there was the reluctance to change anything – they thought 'maybe it will pass by me'. This is actually one of the peculiarities of a human being: they are reluctant to remember bad things, and especially to give up an established lifestyle. However, to 'get used' to the terrorist attacks, continuing to live as before, it is not just narrow-visioned but dangerous.

Hundreds of thousands of radicals

During the search of culprits, they talked a lot about that the Turkish government in 2015 detained on the Syrian border one of the recent Brussels terrorists – a Belgian citizen Ibrahim al-Basrawi – he was deported in Europe, where an obvious extremist was released. The Belgian Embassy was informed about the detention of al-Basrawi by Turkish note, however, nothing is known about the further actions of Western diplomats.

'This is actually one of the peculiarities of a human being: they are reluctant to remember bad things, and especially to give up an established lifestyle. However, to 'get used' to the terrorist attacks, continuing to live as before, it is not just narrow-visioned but dangerous.' Photo: Aurore Belot/Global Look Press

It may seem, an egregious case – they overlooked an absolute danger… However, the trouble is that there are thousands of such cases today. According to some data, thousands of reports of suspicious citizens of Belgium and France were provided by the Turkish side to the embassies of these countries. Belgium, if to believe the media, 'put' 450 fighters in prohibited in many countries Daesh [ISIS, the organization prohibited in Russia – editor's note]. And where 500 fighters – there are a couple thousand people at least who are aware of their activities (primarily, immediate relatives), and, perhaps, tens of thousands of sympathizers (especially on the Internet).

Let's do the math 'from the other end'. In Belgium, there are about one million Muslims, in France – about four million. Given the attitude of the migrant youth, the number of supporters of Daesh in these two countries can be a few hundred thousand.

'Single-piece' work of secret services

And then we have to make a very disappointing conclusion: there is no secret service or police that could handle with that amount of dangerous elements. Maybe, there is enough equipment – but not enough human resources.

The police are honed to expose and catch criminals – that is, one of several thousand people. Sometimes – to stop the riots, which are usually easily localized, and occur infrequently. But police can't control 24 hours a day every square kilometer of extensive problem areas. And an example of its helplessness – some neighborhoods and suburbs of Brussels.

'There is no secret service or police that could handle with that amount of dangerous elements. Maybe, there is enough equipment – but not enough human resources.' Photo: reuters.com

For example, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, where the Paris terrorist Abdeslam brothers used to live. It takes 10 minutes by foot from the Place de la Bourse, where there are rallies in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack, to this district. This Place is one of central. But very close, in Molenbeek, the police until recently almost did not appear – except maybe when it passed every few hours at a high speed, so that the car or the motorcycle was not taken away. Now, of course, Molenbeek is being scoured. As well as Schaerbeek, where recently Salah Abdeslam was arrested and from where it takes twenty minutes to the 'European quarter' at a leisurely pace. Several thousand security forces were sent to strengthen in Brussels – I think, one for a dozen of dangerous inhabitants of Molenbeek or Schaerbeek. At the same time, the rest of the country was exposed.

Secret services, in general, are accustomed to act 'by a single-piece' – by a group of three of five to develop one dangerous person. Well, two or three at the same time. Or one small group. Now they have to face a massive threat.

Sacred cow of tolerance

It means that Western European countries will either have to put up with the terror and the gradual seizure of power by alien radicals, either to go to mass internment or mass deportation of dangerous groups. It is clear that in the current political culture it is impossible: no politician will stand the comparison with the Nazis, accused of the creation of concentration camps, media and cultural elite outcries that a person cannot be judged by ethnicity or religion.

It is true, it is not a matter of ethnos — indigenous Wallons or Flemings join the ranks of nearly Islamic radicals in greater amounts. But this environment is easily identifiable on ideological grounds – and, hence, we can think of the path of massive resistance to it.

In order to do this, however, will have to slaught some sacred cows: the 'axioms' of tolerance towards any manifestation of cultures and individuals, 'the openness of society', the religious neutrality of the state.

'No politician will stand the comparison with the Nazis, accused of the creation of concentration camps, media and cultural elite outcries that a person cannot be judged by ethnicity or religion.' Photo: reuters.com

It is not a coincidence that Fyodor Lukyanov, having referred to the words of François Hollande 'We are at the state of war' writes: 'The real war involves the concretization of values, binding them to the cultural-historical ground, the clear task. And, of course, a clear designation of the enemy. Is Europe, united in the European Union, ready for this? Apparently, no. The typical reaction at mass terrorist attacks of any state of West Europe – statements that criminals will fail to force the free world to abandon its lifestyle and liberal values. The main concern is to sow discord within their own societies, to overdo it with the restrictive measures.'

Nevertheless, I still hope for the sanity of Europeans. But the choice before them is simple: either the destruction of unsteady idols of postwar political culture or the burnt-offering on their altar, and then a new post-war culture, far from European.