So, as many of us all heard in the news, three gunmen killed eight staff members of the French satirist newspaper Charlie Hebdo and two police officers.
Just to give context, Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical magazine that stands far left and is heavily anti-religious. Internationally decried by both Muslims and non-Muslims, the attacks on the French newspaper only strengthens the resolve of the far-right movement all across Europe.
In recent years, many Europeans have seen not only an increase of far-right candidates in elections, but also an increase in far-right politicians in the European Union. With many EU countries falling into recession in the past couple of years, far right parties have gaining steam in the EU Parliament. Furthermore, more and more Europeans have begun to support parties such as Greece's Golden Dawn Party and Hungary's Jobbik Party, many of which support anti-immigration policies and pure nationalism. Even Germany, one of the strongest countries in the European Union, have begun seeing increases of far-right movement, most notably the big "anti-Islamisation" rally in Dresden with a turnout of 18,000 people. Many
Again, touching upon topics like these can potentially to ad hominem attacks. I completely acknowledge the fact that in such a large community such as Smogon, there will be people on different ends of the political spectrum and hold different opinions on the situation. Just remember, there are always two sides to an issue and learning about the points made by each side.
So general discussion questions:
Just to give context, Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical magazine that stands far left and is heavily anti-religious. Internationally decried by both Muslims and non-Muslims, the attacks on the French newspaper only strengthens the resolve of the far-right movement all across Europe.
In recent years, many Europeans have seen not only an increase of far-right candidates in elections, but also an increase in far-right politicians in the European Union. With many EU countries falling into recession in the past couple of years, far right parties have gaining steam in the EU Parliament. Furthermore, more and more Europeans have begun to support parties such as Greece's Golden Dawn Party and Hungary's Jobbik Party, many of which support anti-immigration policies and pure nationalism. Even Germany, one of the strongest countries in the European Union, have begun seeing increases of far-right movement, most notably the big "anti-Islamisation" rally in Dresden with a turnout of 18,000 people. Many
Again, touching upon topics like these can potentially to ad hominem attacks. I completely acknowledge the fact that in such a large community such as Smogon, there will be people on different ends of the political spectrum and hold different opinions on the situation. Just remember, there are always two sides to an issue and learning about the points made by each side.
So general discussion questions:
- What kind of effect will this attack have on the Muslim community and immigrant communities?
- What kind of effect will this attack have on European society?
- How do you see this event affect European politics in the years to come?
- What do you think should be the course of action constituent governments should take in response to this attack as well as potential collateral damage?