Following the terror attacks in Paris, German politician and Merkel ally Michael Fuchs urges France to examine the causes of Islamist violence on this week’s Conflict Zone with Tim Sebastian.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead, a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel conservative party urged France to reflect on why it happened to them.
“One thing is for sure, France has to look into it. Why it is French people do these kind of attacks, that terrorism is coming from France and also Belgium?”, Deputy Parliamentary Leader for Merkel’s conservatives in the Bundestag Michael Fuchs said to Tim Sebastian on DW’s Conflict Zone.
‘Don’t mix’ refugees and terrorism
‘Islamic State’ (IS) has claimed responsibility for the brutal series of attacks that left 129 people dead in Paris on Friday, November 13, 2015. French President Francois Hollande has since said France is “at war” with ‘IS’ and has outlined a new counter-terrorism strategy.
But Fuchs rejected the idea that the refugees coming to Europe were responsible for the attacks: “It is not true that the refugees are the reason for the Paris Attacks. We shouldn’t mix it.”
On Tuesday, all 28 EU member states pledged military support for France after Paris requested help referencing Article 42 of the EU Treaty. The Russian President Vladimir Putin also assured he would back Hollande’s efforts.
Can Europe overcome the current crisis?
Markus Söder from the Bavarian CSU party had warned that terrorists might use the migrant crisis to get into Europe. “The time of uncontrolled immigration and illegal immigration can not go on. Paris has changed everything,” Söder said.
Tim Sebastian: But it is making people feel very vulnerable, isn” it?
Fuchs: Yes, it is. But it’s not true. Why is it French people (are) doing this kind of thing in France?
Michael Fuchs was born in 1949 in Koblenz, Germany. He studied pharmacy in Bonn before joining the Bundeswehr medical corps. Fuchs is the deputy parliamentary leader of the CDU-CSU in Bundestag and has special responsibility for economy and energy issues.
The full interview will air on November 18 at 17.30 UTC.
