• Home
• /
• Opinion

Europe should not give in to fear after Berlin attack

People, mostly residents and a few tourists, were enjoying the festive mood, oblivious to the dangers that lurked in the dark; oblivious to the despicable and gruesome intentions of an apparently 23-year old truck driver, who ploughed through the market to cause maximum casualties and loss.

Europe's streets bleed again. This time in a market in Berlin, and ironically in the shadows of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which has been preserved as a symbol of peace.
People, mostly residents and a few tourists, were enjoying the festive mood, oblivious to the dangers that lurked in the dark; oblivious to the despicable and gruesome intentions of an apparently 23-year old truck driver, who ploughed through the market to cause maximum casualties and loss.
We don't know what his intentions were, or the circumstances under which his mental faculties discounted reasoning, or feelings of humanness. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter which group he belonged to, or which ideology he favoured. The reality is: this is yet again a grisly attack on humanity and the values of society.
Christmas markets are a beloved tradition in many European cities, inviting people of all backgrounds to bask in the celebratory mood. But rising attacks in European cities, and elsewhere in the world, are pushing people to the brink of paranoia and distrust.
The Berlin incident is reminiscent of the lorry attack on Bastille Day crowds in the French city of Nice. Memories are still fresh of several other attacks in Europe, including the one in Zurich, the axe attack on a German train, suicide bombings in Bavaria, Brussels airport, and more. Such acts of terror are deeply wounding our societies, and nudging us to live under the clouds of perpetual anxiety and phobia.
France is still under the state of emergency put in place after attacks in Paris that killed 130 people in November 2015 - the longest such period in decades. These are challenging times when repeatedly the resilience of people is being tested.
In the highly connected social world, where unfiltered and often irresponsible comments pour in from all sides, including polarising tweets from politicians, the challenge is to still maintain sanity and not institutionalise fear, or securitise private lives. Europe is increasingly being targeted for its modernity, secularity, plurality, and openness, and it is, therefore, all the more important that it stands up for these values and does not give in.