Increased security in Europe is the new normal

World Today

Increased security in Europe is the new normal

Belgium’s Interior Minister is quoted as saying that Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Britain have agreed on a joint database for passengers on international trains. It’s part of the fight against ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). Countries across Europe are also boosting visible security, in an effort to prevent future attacks.

CGTN’s Kate Parkinson reports. Follow Kate Parkinson on Twitter @KTP_news

This is the new normal – heavily armed soldiers weaving between tourists and locals in the French capital. Across Europe, countries have beefed up their security, as scenes like this have become increasingly familiar.

In the last two years, there have been major terror attacks in Paris, Nice, Brussels and Berlin. Experts warn the worst is still to come.

“The first wave has hit us but it is only the beginning,” said Thibault de Montbrial, a security analyst.

Ninety people were killed by Islamist extremists at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris. The ISIL terror group has shown itself to be capable of striking at will across Europe and that has implications. Not only for the continent’s security, but also for its future political stability.

The political reverberations from ISIL’s wave of atrocities have already been felt. Last week, leaders of Europe’s most formidable nationalist parties came together for what they described as a “counter-summit” designed to outline the Europe of tomorrow.

The star of the show was Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right leader who is leading in the polls ahead of April’s presidential election.

“We are experiencing the end of one world and the birth of another,” Le Pen stated.

Analysts say destroying liberal Western democracies is exactly what ISIL wants, but they can never win the war.

There will be national elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands this year. While the prospect of right-wing nationalists exercising real political power in Europe may still seem far-fetched, the longer ISIL is able to maintain its terrorist offensive against Europe, the more likely it becomes.