Today I Want To Talk About The Terrorist Attack In Barcelona

It is difficult to put yourself in the shoes of those who suffered, directly or indirectly, the terrorist attack in Barcelona. But it is even more difficult to put yourself in the shoes of people who experience terrorism on a daily basis, because of the distance and because of how little we know about them. The truth is that thousands of people in Iraq and Syria live this situation every day without being able to imagine a more hopeful future.

It is absurd to blame an entire religion for the actions of a tiny minority. However, seeing the comments of many people who spread their banners on social media, we can see how real this nonsense is.

Hate comments multiply whenever an attack happens. However, to understand the terrorist attack in Barcelona, ​​it is necessary to understand what terrorism is and what it feeds on. In the same way that messages of encouragement are necessary and beneficial in these cases, it is not less important to be well informed and not generate hatred in those people who have nothing to do with what happened.

Terrorism is such a huge threat that it requires allies, not enemies, to fight…

What is terrorism?

The first problem we face is the definition of terrorism. Currently, each country and each organization has its own definition of terrorism. While these definitions have many points in common, they also drift apart on other crucial points. It can be said that the definition of terrorism is political, as it serves the interests of those who define it.

One of the goals the policy should aim at is the unification of the definition of terrorism. An international concept that can be used by both security forces, law enforcers and those looking for terrorism in the streets.

Based on these guidelines, we draw on the definition of Boaz Ganor, former head of Mossad, the Israel Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, who proposes that terrorism is: “a form of violent struggle in which violence is deliberately used against civilians to achieve political goals (nationalist, socioeconomic, ideological, religious, etc.)”. According to this definition, any attack on civilians that has political objectives would be terrorism. On the other hand, attacks in which the victims are members of the security forces would not be considered terrorism, but guerrillas.

the interests of terrorism

In relation to the interests of terrorism, we must differentiate between two types of motives. On the one hand are the individual motives of each person or terrorist and, on the other hand, are the interests of the terrorist organization. For the organization, the most important thing is to spread fear.

A terrorist attack in Barcelona, ​​London or Paris, which may seem completely random and impossible to avoid, is intended to send a message: nobody is safe. In this situation, it is normal for people, both affected and unaffected, to feel fear and even terror. But this fear can turn into something chronic. It can be irrational.

Thus, the aim of the terrorist organization is to establish a chronic terror that makes people feel constantly insecure. One of the immediate consequences is the acceptance by the population of the government’s measures in favor of security, accepting to pay for these measures with the reduction of rights and freedoms. Another likely consequence of the attack is that our attention will focus on some of the characteristics of terrorists, such as religion, and the fact that the rejection of those who took lives will extend to those who profess the same religion.

The consequence will be people’s pressure on their governments to introduce tougher measures that restrict freedoms in favor of unnecessary security. Another consequence of this fear is that it will turn towards certain people. More specifically, in this case, to all people who have Islam as a religion or who have Arab origins.

In this way, the terrorist organization will try to legitimize its actions as a noble defense of those who are discriminated against, oppressed and marginalized. The difference between “us” and “them” will become greater. Hate speeches will polarize society while facilitating the work of those recruiting terrorists.

interests of terrorists

In contrast, the interests of terrorists can be varied. Each person will have different priorities. Bearing in mind that jihadist terrorism arises from a depravity of Islam, the interests will be related to the beliefs of this religion. But this does not mean that terrorists will be Muslims, even if among their motivations are those related to the benefits that religion brings.

So some of the individual “benefits” for terrorists will be: securing entry to heaven, having 72 virgin women waiting when they get to heaven, enjoying the ability to choose 70 acquaintances to go directly to heaven when they pass away (regardless of their actions in life), prestige for family members and the idealization of the dead terrorist, who becomes a martyr.

However, as we said, not all interests are religious. Terrorists’ families often receive amounts of money that they would not otherwise be able to obtain. Terrorists who participated in attacks and were not captured will also receive recognition and even greater responsibility in the organization to which they belong. Finally, another common interest is often the desire for revenge against those they think are responsible for their situation.

A mixture of these interests and others is what defines the individual motivations of terrorists, which, as it was possible to observe, do not need to coincide with those of the organization.

Recommendations in case of attack

While it’s important to know the concepts, it’s more important for people new to the subject to know what action guidelines to follow. How to react in the event of a terrorist attack, even if none happened near us, is the first thing we should know. To begin with, the key is to listen to the experts, the security forces. Your directions are the first ones we must follow.

Giving support through social media can benefit everyone. As has been seen, maintaining hate speech, criminalizing entire communities and supporting racist and intolerant policies is what terrorists want. If you do this, you are acting in the terrorists’ interests.

Likewise, sharing morbid images is another wrong action. In addition to generating irrational fear, these images can hurt the sensitivity of those affected. On the contrary, sharing information about how to act, images that show unity and understanding with those affected, both directly and indirectly, will be more beneficial. At the same time, repudiating wrong actions by reporting them or failing to see them is also good practice.

If we are in the place of an attack, the professionals’ recommendations are: run, hide and notify us. At first it is necessary to flee and find a safe haven, trying to be a hero can be counterproductive. Once you have found a safe place, you need to notify the security forces of what happened and your acquaintances that you are safe. Before giving notice, you need to make sure you are not in danger. Remember: run, hide and raise the alert.

Today we are all Barcelona. Tomorrow we will be Syrians and then Afghans. It doesn’t matter the nationality, the color, the ethnicity or the religion. Against terrorism, we are all united. This way and only this way, we will gain allies and lose enemies.