Terrorism a problem for May

After the third attack in the UK within three months, Prime Minister May has announced a hard line against radical Islam and new laws on Internet surveillance. Coming two days before the early elections, the action plan fails to convince the press.

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The Guardian (GB) /

May can't shirk responsibility

Because she was the UK's home secretary from 2010 to 2016 Theresa May is increasingly coming under pressure, The Guardian observes:

“There have been reports one of the terrorist murderers had already been twice reported to the authorities for trying to recruit children into Islamic State. ... May's operation is now criticising MI5 in the press, demanding they 'keep up' with the evolving terrorist threat. But remind me, who has been responsible for MI5 since 2010? ... Theresa May is the prime minister. Theresa May has been home secretary for six of the last seven years. And - with Britain now suffering terrorist atrocities - it is Theresa May who has serious questions to answer.”

Lidové noviny (CZ) /

Western Europe's terrorist breeding grounds

The prime minister won't be able to prevent terrorism simply by stepping up Internet controls, Lidové noviny writes:

“Certainly, the state can regulate the Internet, Facebook and Twitter. But how does it plan to regulate breeding grounds like the countless ethnically sealed off districts? … It is these breeding grounds that make it possible for jihadists to achieve their goals in Western European cities even with primitive equipment. Do they really need the Internet when they can get the job done with a transporter and a few knives? When they have entire neighbourhoods at their disposition where those who draw the police's attention to them are regarded as traitors by the majority? … Here, the state can't regulate or 'ban' anything without immediately being stamped as Islamophobic. Herein lies the impossibility of the task of fighting jihadism - at least in those countries that have welcomed Muslim immigration.”

De Standaard (BE) /

Talk with potential terrorists

May's action plan against terror only confirms her powerlessness, De Standaard comments:

“It's unlikely that she'll be able to stop extremism with this plan. She wasn't able to defeat violent Islamist fundamentalism during her six years as home secretary. Why should she succeed now? Her sudden announcement that she wants to combat the problem with a simple plan of action doesn't improve her credibility. But May said sensible things, too. … For example that this extremist ideology can only be defeated if potential terrorists can be persuaded that tolerance is far more valuable than hatred and violence.”

Milliyet (TR) /

Why is it always England?

Why is Britain of all countries the target of so many terrorist attacks? Milliyet asks:

“It's hard to come up with a reason for why England is so often the target of terrorists. Ever since the Northern Irish separatists appeared on the scene Britain has become a country with plenty of experience in fighting terrorism. Its competence in security matters is undeniable. It's also more successful than most other European countries in dealing with migrants and integration. As part of a coalition that has carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, England is on the IS's hit list. But so are many other countries in which there have been far fewer attacks than in England.”