Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

First, I apologise that I was unable to be present to hear the ambassador's speech. I was in the Seanad. Like previous speakers, I extend my personal sympathies to the French nation.

What hurts France hurts all of us. What happened in the past two weeks in Paris and Brussels and the events which occurred in London some years ago represent a real challenge to the European way of life. As other members said, there is a battle to be won for the hearts and minds of all of our young people but there is also a need to respond. There must be a strong security response in respect of these attacks. Europe survives by being an open, multicultural society where people feel confident in walking the streets. That is something we have to protect and preserve. However, we also need to recognise that we need to respond externally and not only in terms of bombing ISIS. What we should do first is stop referring to this organisation as "ISIS". It should also not be referred to by means of the term "Islamic State". This group does not represent the Islamic people. It should be identified by means of the term "Daesh", which a number of organisations have suggested.

We also need to respond more generally by looking more towards diplomacy and securing some reasonable outcomes in some of these world conflicts. As another member has said, these organisations are getting money from somewhere and if we are to be serious about dealing with this crisis, there should be nowhere for them to go. We need to take this to a new level.