Stop Being NICE

Following Nice events in the night between Thursday and Friday, many places in the World showed solidarity by writing “ Je Suis Nice” (I am NICE). Ironically, the play on word for “NICE is nice” has been the City moto for years to promote it’s image overseas.

Well, NICE is not nice anymore since Thursday. Although stains on the floor have been rapidly cleaned up and beaches reopened today, as part of an effort to save what can be of the summer season, the horror of what happened can’t be and won’t be washed out as easily.

But first of all a warning: this post is tougher and more personal than the others. I was born in Nice and spent 15 out of my first 17 years. My brothers still live there, and my in-laws just moved there and where at the scene when it happened. They had to hide in a restaurant basement for 2 hours where they could hear the bullets hissing nearby and the chaos that followed. I won’t get into the details of how shocked they are, as this is too personal and not the purpose.

The terrorist is again depicted as a lone ranger with an history of violence, theft and over-drinking. Not the typical candidate for a “holy” Jihadi fighter…And yet, since Thursday, it appears he has been in touch with one of the ISIS commanders, also from Nice. So now he is a “lone ranger, mentally unstable, that got radicalised quickly”.

When will the government of the Western World stop being so nice?

I don’t even want to dwell on the fact that many eyewitnesses are talking about 3 people in the truck, two firing automatic weapons and one mowing into people. That would explain the incredible death toll that so many security experts have difficulty explaining, even with the circumstances of a thick crowd gathered for what was till then, a fun, family event.

There would be two reasons French authorities would not disclose the whole truth: or the two other shooters escaped and that would be extremely scary and embarrassing. Or it would just weaken a bit more the “lone ranger theory”.

Governments need to stop being nice as they are just encouraging popular exasperation and counter radicalisation.

After the Charlie Hebdo / HyperKasher events, and then again after the Bataclan and Paris attacks, there has been some surge in National solidarity and the French President and his team were seen as having properly handled the situation. There was even an “historic march” with so many Heads of State to show that Europe and the World will not surrender and can respond “hand in hand and peacefully to hatred, terrorist and provocation.

Since then there has been Copenhagen, Orlando, Brussels and many others.

Yesterday in Nice, Francois Hollande was booed and people started to shout “murderer”.

Since then there has been Trump nomination as Republican nominee for the next US elections, with his ban on Muslim supported by a growing number!

Since then there has been UK’s Brexit, were immigration and popular against the government being apparently “too nice” on this issue, has been the single cause to push the decision in this completely unexpected direction (and you know my views on Brexit Opening the Pandora Box - my first take on Brexit  - NB: In that post, I was mentioning that the most important geopolitical consequence of Brexit could be the election of Marine Le Pen as next French President. Not only did she ensured immediately that once elected she will launch a similar referendum, but it’s easy to imagine what the events in Nice will do to her chances to win..).

Truth is that from all the governments, France has been the “nicest” one towards terrorists.

I had the opportunity to meet Alain Juillet in 2004, formerly Chief of Intelligence (Number 2) at the French counter-espionage DGSE and I then mentioned that sooner or later, stadium, theatres, museum and obviously public events, will become easy target for extremists that would fear nothing, not even their own death.

My comments were met at most with indifference, especially coming from a “profane”…This is the kind of situation where I wouldn’t even dare write ‘I told him”.

But France always believed that they could “control” the potential terrorist. Via infiltration, manipulation as well as potentially providing “safe haven” for their logistics bases in Europe, in exchange for some immunity. As did Brussels. We all know the results.

It has been a huge mistake of arrogance and self-delusion. As in the worst spy movies, indeed, one side was using the other side, but it was not the ones you would have thought about.

So it is time for governments and authorities to stop being nice if they want to start accepting the truth and understand they face an organised army of “lone rangers”, with recruiters, trainers and operators.

It is time for governments to stop being nice if they wish to get ready and maybe avoid the next massacre.

It is time for governments to stop thinking that they can negotiate, manipulate or use people who don’t care for their own life and are ready to kill children to prove their cause.

It is time for governments to stop being nice if they want to avoid additional Exits from the EU, and give a chance to freedom of movement, freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

It is time for governments to stop being candid and think they can support Terrorist organisations in the Middle-East, snub or condemn Israel, the only democracy there, and yet being exempt of the consequences in their home turf.

It is time for governments to stop being nice if they want to give a real chance to democracy and avoid a backlash with the extreme right wing starting to win elections all over Europe.

It is time to stop being nice so that all the NICE in the World can be nice again.