(International Observation) Encountering the "dual crisis" of the epidemic and terrorist attacks, how does France "fight on two fronts"?
China News Agency, Paris, October 30th, title: How does France encounter the "dual crisis" of the epidemic and terrorist attacks?
China News Agency reporter Li Yang
France is currently experiencing a "double crisis" between the epidemic and terrorist attacks.
Regarding the new crown pneumonia epidemic, France has once again entered a state of health emergency, and officially entered the second national "closed city" on the 30th.
In terms of terrorist attacks, France has encountered many terrorist attacks in the past month, and the anti-terrorism alert level in France was raised to the highest level on the 29th.
In the face of severe and complex "double crises", how France will respond to the epidemic and counter terrorism at the same time has become the focus of attention of all parties.
Critical situation
When French Prime Minister Castel informed the French National Assembly of the second national "cities closure" and other epidemic prevention measures on the 29th, news of a knife attack in Nice was heard. The National Assembly immediately suspended the meeting and paid a minute of silence to the victims of the Nice attack.
This shows the pain and pressure that the epidemic and terrorist attacks have brought to the country at the same time.
On October 29, local time, a knife attack occurred in the southern French city of Nice.
The picture shows a forensic officer arriving at the scene of the incident.
The epidemic is currently the top priority for French officials to deal with.
The second implementation of the nationwide "cities closure" is an official measure of last resort in seeking to reduce the spread of the virus and ease the pressure on the medical system.
When French President Macron announced the implementation of another "closure", his expectations of the crisis in France have been directly stated-if we do nothing, at least 400,000 deaths will increase in a few months.
The pressure on the French medical system is even more worrying.
According to current data calculations, if hospitalized cases and severe cases continue to rise uncontrollably, they will reach the peak of hospitalized and critically ill patients during the first wave in two weeks; severely ill patients will surge to 9,000 in mid-November, which means If it is not strictly controlled, the medical system will face collapse due to overwhelming patients.
Terrorist attacks have occurred continuously recently, and the threat has become increasingly obvious.
From the attack on the original headquarters of Charlie Hebdo at the end of last month to the murder of Samuel Patty, a history teacher in the suburbs of Paris, in the middle of this month; and to the knife attack in Nice on the 29th, these attacks were regarded as official Terrorist attack.
The French Interior Minister Darmanin warned at the end of August that the risk of terrorist attacks in France remains high.
Unity response
French President Macron made a national televised speech on the response to the epidemic on the 28th, and when he delivered a speech on the Nice attack on the 29th, he called on people to unite and cope with challenges together.
French officials adopted the second nationwide "cities closure" measure to win the support of most French people and medical system personnel.
Although some opposition parties have voices of opposition, most of them also indicated that they would abide by the relevant regulations of "closing the city."
On the 29th, the French National Assembly, with 399 votes in favor, 27 votes against, and 7 abstentions, passed the official measures such as "closing the city".
The Nice attack on the 29th triggered the international community's solidarity with France.
The President of the European Commission von der Lein said that the whole of Europe stands with France.
The suspect in the Nice attack is reported to be from Tunisia. Tunisian officials condemned the incident and stated that a background investigation would be conducted on the suspect.
Even Turkey, which has recently strained relations with France, strongly condemned the attack.
The French government also united from top to bottom and divided the labor steadily.
Macron concentrated on counter-terrorism issues on the 29th. Accompanied by the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Justice, he went to Nice to check the scene of the terrorist attack; Prime Minister Castel concentrated on the response to the epidemic, and jointly finalized the second nationwide " The implementation details of the city closure will be announced.
Challenges remain
Whether the rebound of the French epidemic and the threat of terrorist attacks can be alleviated in November has attracted much attention from the outside world.
However, from the current point of view, the short-term prospects for the resolution of the "double crisis" are still hardly optimistic.
The worsening trend of the epidemic has not been stopped. Various data indicators show that the virus is still spreading throughout the country, and the number of hospitalized and critically ill patients continues to rise.
Macron proposed that if the number of new cases in a single day drops from the current average of 40,000 to less than 5,000, the control measures will be relaxed.
From the current point of view, the possibility of this decline may be difficult to achieve in the short term, especially in the first half of November.
The background and timing of the terrorist attacks are sensitive. The above three terrorist attacks are all related to Charlie Hebdo.
This year coincides with the 5th anniversary of the "Charlie Hebdo" terrorist attack. The case is currently under trial in Paris and the verdict is expected to be pronounced in November.
Macron said he will not succumb to terrorism.
However, since the terrorist attacks involve many complex issues at the religious and social levels, they cannot be cured overnight, and the threat of terrorist attacks is bound to be difficult to eliminate in the short term.
As France officially enters the second national "closed city" to respond to the epidemic, the official also said that it will strengthen relevant security work to prevent terrorist attacks.
As a result, law enforcement personnel such as the police and security forces will face even more difficult tests.
People will wait and see how effective the "two-line combat" will be in the future.
(Finish)