Police station attack: France in shock again

After an attack at a police station south-west of Paris in which a female police worker was stabbed to death by a Tunisian man, France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin plans to present a new anti-terror law on Wednesday. The perpetrator had allegedly sought psychiatric help for depression a few months ago. He had also apparently taken part in a campaign against Mohammed cartoons.

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Corriere del Ticino (CH) /

Invisible jihadists

For Corriere del Ticino the case is a grim warning:

“The striking thing about the case of Jamel G. is the fact that the Tunisian, who entered France illegally in 2009, was able to live in the country for a decade without proper documentation before his legalisation at the end of 2019. How many other immigrants from Islamic countries are living illegally in France, slipping into the grey zone and getting caught in traps set by potential attackers? As French commentators have noted, the metamorphosis of Jamel G. is not an isolated case. And to prevent more invisible jihadists from appearing out of nowhere with a knife in their hand, ready to strike, we must analyse the links between immigration and criminality more closely.”

Le Monde (FR) /

Too important to be poisoned by demagogy

Le Monde warns against the case being instrumentalised for political purposes:

“Several conservative politicians have followed Marine Le Pen's example and linked the topics of terrorism and migration. ... The campaign that has just begun for the regional elections [in June] and the proximity of the presidential elections, due to take place in a year, explain why people are vying with each other here. But they don't excuse anything. It's true that security has once again become one of the major concerns of the French, and that demands a democratic debate without concessions. However the issue of terrorism is too serious to be poisoned by demagogy or to serve purely electoral interests.”