ELA shows its deep concern about the Paris attacks

Nov 18, 2015
ELA wants to show its deep concern about last friday’s attacks in Paris. For this reason it conveys its most sincere solidarity to the families of the victims. Nothing justifies such atrocities and they deserve our complete condemnation.

ELA demands that these attacks should not be used to justify repressive agendas against fundamental rights and freedoms. However, with great concern ELA observes how political leaders can use the shock that this type of attack causes to legitimise military escalations and xenophobic reactions that lead to the suffering of innocent people; in most cases, people who are a long way away from our homes. The policies used to approach this type of situation must go way beyond those that are limited to appealing for “safety”. Yesterday, before the attacks took place, the French government had decided to suspend the Schengen Agreement referring to the free circulation of citizens. And it did so to hinder the predicted social mobilisation due to the World Climate Summit, COP21 to be held in Paris, to urge Governments towards a stronger commitment against climate change. This is the way forward.

ELA urges the voice of experts who are not related to the States’ security forces and apparatus to be listened to, drawing attention to the futility of classic police responses against this type of violent dynamics. The effective commitment to a global agenda for peace and justice for all the peoples that form it, amongst other ideas, is the road to follow, an alternative road to military and police escalation, an area where regrettably, neither the Spanish nor the French states stand out.