“We Are At War” – French Official Warns Country Must Brace For More Islamist Terror Attacks

For the second time in October, France has been hit with grisly knife attacks, forcing government officials to warn that more of these terror fueled incidents by “Islamist ideology” are coming.

The latest attack occurred in the French city of Nice on Thursday. Three people were stabbed to death at a church. While an investigation is underway, French President Emmanuel Macron was quick to say the French people are under attack by “Islamist and terrorist madness.”

Thursday’s killings follow the gruesome beheading of schoolteacher Samuel Paty in a northern Paris suburb earlier this month. A Chechen refugee beheaded Paty after he showed his students cartoons of prophet Muhammad in a freedom of expression lesson.

Besides Macron’s warning, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told RTL radio on Friday, quoted by RT News, that the country must be prepared for future attacks as it battles Islamic extremism. 

“We are in a war against an enemy that is both inside and outside. We need to understand that there have been and there will be other events such as these terrible attacks,” Darmanin said on RTL radio. 

Video: “France is at war. We are at war with an enemy outside and inside. We are at war with the Islamist ideology,” he said on RTL radio. 

La France est en guerre.
Nous sommes en guerre face à un ennemi extérieur et intérieur.
Nous sommes en guerre face à l’idéologie islamiste.#RTLMatin pic.twitter.com/7U1XKe1EZr

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) October 30, 2020

Video: “The greatness of our democracy, its strength, lies in being able to tell the French that within a legal framework, we can defeat the greatest barbarities. Islamism is a form of 21st-century fascism, extremism that we must fight,” he said on RTL radio. 

La grandeur de notre démocratie, sa force, c’est de pouvoir dire aux Français que dans un cadre légal, on peut battre les plus grandes barbaries.
L’islamisme est une forme de fascisme du XXIe siècle, un extrémisme que nous devons combattre.#RTLMatin pic.twitter.com/SwKbPda3Xb

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) October 30, 2020

The government raised the terror threat to the highest “emergency” level late this week. Soldiers have been deployed to schools and churches across the country. This also comes as Macron declared a second national lockdown Friday until at least the end of November due to rising coronavirus cases. 

UK prime minister Boris Johnson said the Nice incident on Thursday was a “barbaric attack:” 

“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, and the UK stands steadfastly with France against terror and intolerance,” said Johnson. 

President Trump said, “America stands with our oldest ally in this fight.” Pope Francis said he prays for the victims, for their families, and for France.

Turkey, which is embroiled in a diplomatic spat with France over the publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, said they “strongly condemn the attack at the church in Nice.” 

While 79% of French people believe Islamists have “declared war” on their country, this could drum up support for nationalist political leaders in the country who have had a tough stance on combating Islamic extremism – such as Marine Le Pen.