'France Is United in Mourning' After Toulouse

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http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,822772,00.html



The murders of three children and one adult at a Jewish school in Toulouse on Monday shocked France. Meanwhile, the revelation that the same perpetrator had apparently also killed three soldiers in the preceding days created a climate of intense fear. On Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised the terror alert in the region to its highest level as police launched a massive manhunt.

On Wednesday, the search reached its climax as police held the suspected killer under siege in a Toulouse flat. The 24-year-old man has been identified as Mohammed Merah, a French citizen of Algerian descent. The man, who has apparently been under observation by French intelligence for years, claims to belong to al-Qaida, according to French Interior Minister Claude Guéant, who was at the scene. The suspect had apparently said he acted to "avenge Palestinian children." According to French authorities, the man had visited Afghanistan and Pakistan, and was apparently motivated by anger at the French military over its foreign missions.

The area around the apartment building has been cordoned off, and police were negotiating with the man on Wednesday morning. He is said to be armed with an AK-47 rifle and other weapons. The siege followed a dawn raid on the building which turned into a firefight that left three police officers wounded. The man's brother was also arrested in Toulouse.

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1. France National unity is the only response

http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/1659721-national-unity-only-response

Whether it be at the military funeral in honour of the fallen paratroopers or at a Kaddish for the slain children and their teacher, France is in mourning. Trying to second guess the motivations of a killer, who apparently used the same gun in the three attacks, is a dangerous business. What link can one make between an anti-semitic crime in front of a Jewish school and the assassination of French soldiers, two of whom are Muslim? Nothing supports the racist crime theory nor can the lone psychopath be ruled out.

Given the current state of the investigation, in the heat of the electoral campaign, the candidates, and the incumbent in particular, must avoid all escalation, abusive interpretations or political exploitation of these crimes. The past has already shown how a ballot can be tainted by an act of foul play or by military operations duly programmed for electoral purposes.

There is a fine line between the right amount of solidarity and compassion with the Jewish community, once again a target, and co-opting the occasion. To date, the candidates have toed that line. They have even suspended for a day their public outings and comments.

In the face of these tragedies, national union, an often hackneyed phrase, is the only dignified response. That is the most fitting homage to the slain; to the three soldiers, to the three Jewish children and to their professor. The candidate that deviates from this Republican ideal must be held accountable by the voters.

[Boojatta]

2. It's amazing how much influence students have

(specifically, students at Jewish schools in France) over the formulation of Israeli government policy!

The suspect had apparently said he acted to "avenge Palestinian children."