Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and raise the issue of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris that resulted in scores of casualties and left countless more injured. Like all my colleagues in the House, I start by extending my sympathies to the families and friends of those who were killed or injured, many of whom remain in hospital, in Friday night's terrorist attacks.

The violence inflicted on the people of Paris was truly horrifying and appalling. It exemplifies the barbaric nature of ISIS, which has since claimed responsibility for the attacks. The attacks at the Stade de France, the Bataclan concert hall, and restaurants and bars signify ISIS's hatred of the European way of life that we hold dear in this part of the world - that of solidarity, freedom and democracy.

Such hatred cannot be allowed to fester and to grow, and it is clear that a co-ordinated European response is required to rid the world of this terrible evil. The terrible atrocities in Paris should be used to unite Europe and will not, I hope, be used as a catalyst to undermine European cohesion and solidarity. People of all races, cultures and creeds were indiscriminately attacked and citizens from 15 countries lost their lives with many more injured. This was not just an attack on France, but an attack on our democracy, freedom and way of life.

Let us remember that the European Union was founded with the aim of ending frequent and bloody wars between neighbouring countries. The founding fathers sought a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe. That goal is as relevant today as it was in 1951 when the Treaty of Paris was signed to establish the European Coal and Steel Community. The European Union, as it is now known, has changed fundamentally since 1951. It now comprises 28 countries, but the founding principles that underlie it, while sometimes challenged, remain the same: freedom, peace and solidarity. While ISIS has struck at the heart of Europe, we, as a nation and as a member of the European Union, must stand united and work collectively to overcome the scourge of terrorism and protect these principles which are the bedrock on which the European Union was founded and has continued to grow and develop over the intervening years.

Any action we take must be firm, resolute and focused. However, it must also be measured, balanced and proportionate. Of course, that is difficult right now. In some cases the immediate reaction to an event such as this can be more unhelpful than helpful in the long term. We need to be focused, measured, balanced and thoughtful in the way we address the matter.

The attacks in Paris underscore the need for greater co-ordination among and between European member states, and highlight the need for sharing intelligence. The truth of the matter is as Guy Verhofstadt, MEP, leader of the ALDE group in the European Parliament, wrote in The Guardianyesterday, "terrorists know no borders, while our 28 national state security agencies cannot cross borders". It is clear that intelligence needs to be more effectively shared and we all have a role to play in ensuring a more co-ordinated response to such attacks. As the article succinctly puts it, "borderless terrorism can only be tackled by borderless intelligence".

To dismantle and undermine these terrorist groups it necessary to understand the causes of such extremism and fundamentalism. If we do not at least try to understand the root causes, radicalisation will continue unabated with the devastating effect we saw on Friday night. The causes, of course, are complex and multifaceted. Poverty, social exclusion, discrimination and ghettoization are only directing young people towards extremism, which gives those who have become disenfranchised a sense of identity and purpose, and often a sense of brotherhood. People in these circumstances in their vulnerable state are easy fodder for those who wish to take them into a radicalised environment and use and abuse their vulnerability for the aims, ideals and vision of other more sinister characters who have a completely different agenda at heart.

How we deal with this requires efforts from all sides and all communities, both within and between countries. It requires a multi-layered response, which should encompass both a top-down and bottom-up approach. It requires education and understanding on all sides. It requires Europe taking a progressive role and formulating concrete proposals that will unite Europe and its people, and will turn the tide against radicalisation.

We must ensure that the attacks in Paris are not used to add further fuel to the fire and are not exploited to radicalise disaffected youth on the one hand and create xenophobia in Europe on the other.

Let us not play into the hands of the terrorists. The extremists who carried out these awful attacks want an extremist reaction. It is essential we do not give them one. Furthermore, it is critical that the events in Paris are not hijacked by others to advance the politics of exclusion, hatred and division.

We must remember that there are approximately 1.8 billion Muslims in the world and they are not represented by these terrorist groups. We must ensure that our approach is inclusive and the language of "us and them", "insiders and outsiders", does not permeate our thinking and our responses. We must all stand in solidarity and work collectively to ensure that we remain staunch in our opposition to such indiscriminate acts of violence and an ideology that undermines democracy and the greater good.

We in Ireland have a unique opportunity to work with European member states and to play our part to stop the rise of extremism. I note from reports that between 20 and 30 people have travelled from Ireland to take part in conflicts abroad. While the risk of attack appears low in Ireland, based on intelligence provided by the Garda Síochána, we must ensure that people living here do not pose a threat to other nations. It is important that the Government would work and liaise with other European colleagues to prevent fundamentalism from taking hold both here in Ireland and in states across the European Union as a whole.

We cannot ignore the issue of Syria and the migration crisis in Europe, as they are both fundamentally intertwined. Solving the ongoing conflict in Syria is pivotal if ISIS is to be dismantled. While there may be some attempts to use the Paris attacks as an excuse to reject offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict in Syria, we must resolutely oppose such thinking.

We believe the vast majority of those seeking refuge in the European Union are trying to escape the horrors of conflict and the ravages of war. While I believe Ireland must play a part in providing a safe home for those escaping conflict, we must put in place robust safeguards to ensure that those who seek refuge in this country and elsewhere in Europe are genuine migrants. What happened in Paris must not prevent us from taking a responsible and collective approach to the migrant crisis. I reaffirm the support of the Fianna Fáil Party for a fair and equitable resettlement programme to address the migrant challenge.

In defining our response, we must continue to respond to the crisis and to extend a welcoming hand and a safe home to those who seek refugee status. We must not move away from a position of caring and wanting to reach out and help those people. If the attacks on Paris were to change the mood, mindset or thinking of Irish people then it would be a success for ISIS, because what it seeks to do is to dismantle the efforts that are being made between and within countries to reach out, connect and to be at one. That is not in the interests of ISIS, as is evident from the way it has responded to what has happened.

There was a powerful article in The Guardiannewspaper today, written by a former hostage of the terrorists. He said the terrorists:

will be heartened by every sign of overreaction, of division, of fear, of racism, of xenophobia; they will be drawn to any examples of ugliness on social media. Central to their world view is the belief that communities cannot live together with Muslims, and every day their antennae will be tuned towards finding supporting evidence. The pictures from Germany of people welcoming migrants will have been particularly troubling to them. Cohesion, tolerance - it is not what they want to see.

That I believe is how we in Europe must respond - with cohesion and tolerance.

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