The writing on the wall
Europe turns blind eye, deaf ear to terror threat
The harsh attacks on Israel and the Jews, and the words of flattery aimed at Arab radicals, did not help London Mayor Ken Livingstone.
It may have been wounded, hurt, horrified, but it will prosper again. We will continue to travel to London, to have fun, shop, feed ducks at the gardens, and buy clothes and books.
On Thursday, his city fell victim to yet another despicable terror offensive, just like Nairobi, New York, Bali, Madrid, and other cities in the world.
London will survive the attack, as it survived the German Luftwaffe’s bombardments and IRA terrorism.
Indeed, London is a large, strong, lively city. A 21st Century European city.
London Bombings
Robert S. Wistrich, Azure
London increasingly emerging as radical Islamic, anti-Semitic hub
Terrorism, as Tony Blair said, will not win - it will not beat them, nor us or anyone else.
Mayor Livingstone’s cowardice
However, in the first hours after the attacks, authorities in London conducted themselves in a scandalous manner. Senior officials refused to characterize the blasts as “terror attacks,” instead referring to them as “incidents.”
Meanwhile, the number of injured or severity of wounds were not provided, while the orders to halt public transportation operations were given too late, after the bus attack.
All this stemmed from, no doubt, local authorities’ refusal to say anything that may sound politically incorrect, lest someone among London’s Muslim minority or leftist majority feel, God forbid, slight discomfort.
The cowardly, silent conduct of Mayor Livingstone, who was still in Singapore but only saw fit to appear in the media long hours after emergency plans were put into effect, stands at a sharp contrast to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s absolute effort on September 11, 2001.
The required leadership spirit was demonstrated, yet again, but Prime Minister Tony Blair. In a short, coherent speech to the British nation, Blair did not hesitate to refer to terrorism by name, did not hesitate to tie it to terror attacks in other locations around the world, and did not hide the fact that many people were murdered in the blasts.
His face displayed determination and much sadness.
Terrorists intimately familiar with British capital
A terror attack at several locations, in a giant city such as London, exactly on the day the G8 summit opened in Scotland, requires long-term planning and the investment of much thought, preparatory efforts, and money.
This was not the work of some black-clad anarchists.
Indeed, it was the work of a multi-branched terror organization, which managed to take root in London’s landscape, is familiar with daily life in the British capital, accurately calculated the site and time of attacks, and was aware of security vulnerabilities in the city.
It is for good reason that counter-terrorism officials in Britain warned time and again that a Muslim terror offensive on London is not a question of if, but rather, when.
That “when” arrived Thursday, exactly when G8 leaders opened another round of talks on aiding destitute Africa, and only one year and four months after the terrible attacks in Madrid.
It should be noted that as of today, Spain’s security services were unable to solve the attacks. Dozens of detained suspects remain silent in their interrogations, and while the police treat them with kid gloves, the terror path remains unexposed.
Indeed, neither the dispatchers nor the brains behind the terror attacks have been found. They continued formulating their plans for the next mass attack, and chose London.
London, which was rejoicing two days ago, was crying yesterday.
September 11 attacks hatched in Europe
It is silly to look for a connection between the latest attacks and the announcement that London would get to host the Olympics in seven years. Had the terrorists planned to hurt London’s image, they would have perpetrated the attacks a day before, not a day after, the announcement.
However, there is a clear link between the terror offensive and Britain’s involvement in the war in Iraq, as well as the relentless, although imperfect, pursuit of Muslim terrorists living across Britain.
This pursuit, it is clear now, has failed.
Terrorism overcame apathy, indifference, and particularly the helplessness demonstrated by London officials in their attitude to the zealous Muslim underground organized in the city.
Indeed, friendship was being nurtured with Islam’s fanatics, in a futile attempt to placate them.
A year ago we predicted here that the terror attacks in Europe would continue. They would continue as long as Europeans continue to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, ignoring the fanatic Islamization evident in large parts of Europe.
If only Europe’s elites, so busy condemning Israel, would have read the report submitted by the special committee tasked with investigating the September 11 attacks in the United States, they would have seen that the idea for mass terror attacks in the West was hatched in Arab extremist circles in Germany, Spain, and Britain.
That’s where the terrorists’ nests are located. That’s where the evil was initiated.
