Deeper analyses of the Berlin terror attack

Opinions diverge on the significance of the terror truck attack in Berlin and even more so on its implications for Germany, Hungary and the world.

On Index, Szabolcs Dull thinks Angela Merkel may pay a high price as a result. She has just declared her candidacy for a fourth term as Federal Chancellor and the main theme of the electoral campaign will inevitably be the terror threat which was unquestionably increased by the inflow of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers.

On 888, Lóránt Sümeghi asserts that if Hungary has not yet been the scene of a similar attack, it is due to the government’s refusal to let masses of uncontrolled people flow in. The fence that was built along Hungary’s southern border was criticised by left-wing and liberal pundits, he continues, as an inhuman initiative, but it is thanks to the border closure that Monday’s tragedy happened in Berlin rather than in Budapest, he claims.

On Kettős Mérce, András Jámbor thinks that Monday’s shock has equally impaired the lives of Germans and refugees, Muslims, Turks, Russians and Americans. What unites us, he writes, is not our nationality but our common fear of such attacks.

Magyar Nemzet’s Albert Gazda rejects the idea that western civilisation risks being defeated by terror. Terrorism has a long history but it has never been victorious. “Nor will it ever be”, he concludes.

Tags: Germany, terrorism