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Why France Has Repeatedly Become a Target for Terrorists

© AP Photo / Kamil ZihniogluFrench riot police officers patrol under the Eiffel Tower, near the entrance of the soccer fan zone, prior to the Euro 2016 Group A soccer match between France and Romania, in Paris, Friday, June 10, 2016
French riot police officers patrol under the Eiffel Tower, near the entrance of the soccer fan zone, prior to the Euro 2016 Group A soccer match between France and Romania, in Paris, Friday, June 10, 2016 - Sputnik International
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The increase of terrorist attacks in France is not only related to Paris' fight against Daesh, but also arises from several domestic political factors, German political expert Ronja Kempin told DW.

According to the expert, there are a number of interrelated factors that have made France more vulnerable to terrorism.

"First, France is one of those European countries that are most actively involved in the so-called international war on terror. France takes an active part in the fighting in Syria and Iraq, and carries out airstrikes on the positions of the Islamic State [Daesh]," the expert said.

Flowers are seen attached to a fence to remember the victims of the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice in front of the French embassy in Rome. - Sputnik International
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The second factor, the expert claimed, is the fact that due to its colonial past France has a large Muslim community, many members of which have dual citizenship.

"It is very difficult for the French authorities to control these people at the moment when they start to radicalize, because thanks to their French passports, they easily enter and leave the country. Many Syrians, Tunisians, Algerians do not need a visa to stay in France. They are its citizens," Kempin explained.

A similar point pf view has been expressed by political expert Alexandre Del Valle. According to him, terrorists are trying to target countries with heterogeneous populations in an attempt to provoke civil wars across Europe.

"The Islamists view France as an unfaithful country that most of all offended the Prophet and Islam, and limited the rights of radical Muslims, or even just those who strictly follow the rituals. Secondly, it is also a country which is home to most Muslims in Europe," Del Valle told Sputnik.

Among other factors, Kempin named poor coordination among secret services and domestic reasons, such as strict separation of church and state.

"France is a secular state. The authorities presume that they should not be involved in religious matters. Therefore, they have for a long time not been interested in what is happening, especially in French Muslim communities. As a result, the radicalization that took place there in the past had not been noticed by the state, because it is simply believed it shouldn't be concerned," Kempin said.

A man walks through debris scatterd on the street the day after a truck ran into a crowd at high speed killing scores celebrating the Bastille Day July 14 national holiday on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 15, 2016. - Sputnik International
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Moreover, the unemployment rate has reached an extremely alarming level in France plays as well a key role in the process of radicalization. According to the expert, 46 percent of young people with migratory backgrounds have no job and positive prospects for the future.

On July 14, a truck rammed into a large crowd that was celebrating Bastille Day in Nice. At least 84 people, including children, were killed and dozens of others were injured.

The recent attack in Nice has been added to a series of terrorist acts in France, including the attack on the editorial office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo as well as coordinated shootings and bombings at the Bataclan theatre, the Stade de France stadium and other location in the French capital on November 13, 2015.

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