United we (should) stand

Since yesterday, I’ve been quite irritated by some comments on TV or radio shows. I don’t have to explain what happened since last Monday in Toulouse and the 7 killed by a young man whom referred himself to terrorism and Al-Qaida. He killed 7 people (3 children included), cold-blooded, without no remorse (why should he have remorse for, knowing that he was convinced by his deeds?) and resisted for more than 30 hours to police forces.

Police Forces…. Not the basic police forces ! An Elite Unit calls RAID (Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence), of the French National Police. It is one of the 3 Elite Units in France and obviously one of the most competent and secret. Anyhow, and since I’ve been a little girl, this Unit is respected and its work is definitely not a piece of cake.

Their first job is to open a dialogue with the suspect and try out to make him (her?) surrender without any violence. Most of the time, I assume they perform in that case, but last Thursday, march  22th, they had to give the assault against this young man (23), whom didn’t want to give up and aggressed them back when they entered in the flat.

On the whole following afternoon, the Unit was acclaimed for its cold-blooded action and the fact that, despite the death of the killer and the absence of trial for hurt families, the situation was back under control and that it would have any more killing.

But, yesterday evening, some tweets popped up and some radios or TV shows entered into a kind of trial of “what did the RAID do wrong ?”. This morning (Friday, march 23th), a tweet really bothered me. I was quite angry when I read that. This was a development about the measures the RAID should have done and it was quite insulting for them.

Tweetos didn’t insult them directly but pointed out the “so-called” negligence they might have done. This is obviously a wrong process toward this Police Unit.

Of course, I would have preferred that the killer would have been arrested and judged for the murders he committed, to give the families to ability to mourn their beloved ones and to show others supposed terrorists that France won’t let unpunished those who kill innocents people in the name of God (or you name it).

I am not into revenge against a community, a religion or a race (even though this word seems to be forbidden lately in French language, it is not an insulting expression, for God’s Sake !).  I’ve been raised up with the French motto “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” (Freedom, Equality and Fraternity) in mind and the fact that we are all human beings.

Moreover, a religion does not define a person. I am a catholic and if you ever learn History a bit, Catholics had done such horrible acts those past 2 000 years. Am I responsible for any of them ? No, I am NOT ! So are the Muslims whom pray Allah daily nowadays in harmony with others religions ! So are the Jews, Buddhists, etc !

Anyhow, I guess that killing a person is not the first and main idea which came into mind of the RAID Commander in Chief. He might have hoped to solve the case without any hurt for his men and for the killer, knowing that putting him on trial would have been the best solution for anyone.

So, yes, a RAID sniper killed him. He protected his colleagues and it might have been the best solution. Of course, some might think that a pepper spray should have been an easier solution to make the killer capitulate. Albeit….

People should put themselves into the Police Unit situation and think twice before tweeting or questioning. Of course, the freedom of the press and their questions are legitimate and asking for answers is too, but is it necessary to give advices after the fight?

In front of fragile and war situations (it was a kind of war within a city !), none can say what they would say or do. You have to be IN those circumstances to know exactly how to react. The “I would have done that” are not an option for those kind of events.

In front of a determinate young man, strongly armed and fearless to die, there is no other way to solve that. You kill or you die.

It is tragic for families and I do sincerely pray for them and their beloved ones who died under the fanatic vision of a man.

So, to quote the famous US sentence : United We Stand.

We really should and stop the polemics !