Europe fights terrorism with new legislation amid human rights challenges
European Union countries are seeking to decisively confront
terrorist groups in light of double security pressures as a result of the
bloody attacks that struck the region recently, in addition to confronting
cultural and educational centers that carry the ingrained thought of extremist
currents and are spread throughout European cities.
The previous variables have formed a pressing vocabulary on
Europe, which wants to secure itself from the spread of violent terrorism.
Therefore, legal amendments and ideological interaction constitute the
mainstays for combating the modern phenomena resulting from the crystallization
of the ideologies of transnational extremism.
Legal changes
Europe has always been an important station for Islamist
groups because of its laws that respect equality and freedom of expression,
which are exploited. Therefore, the trend towards amending laws in line with
developments in the security file remains of human and social value.
For its part, the Austrian National Council announced on
July 8 the adoption of a new law aimed at combating extremism and terrorism in
the country by strengthening the capabilities of the relevant agencies to
pursue extremist elements and their financial and intellectual financiers.
Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer stated that the new
law gives the authorities the ability to toughen penalties for elements that
facilitate the creation of an environment conducive to the growth of terrorism,
encourage religious extremism, and exploit social media platforms to recruit
for terrorist groups and spread the ideology of extremism.
The new laws will require those released in cases of
conditional release of terrorism convicts to wear an electronic bracelet around
their ankles to monitor their movements and ensure that they do not engage in
extremist activities that threaten the security and stability of the country.
The new legislation is an additional step to confront the terrorism
that violently targeted the country on November 2, 2020, when an ISIS terrorist
named Kujtim Fejzulai attacked a group of citizens in the capital, Vienna,
which caused confusion about the measures being followed by the Austrian
government in particular, as the assailant had been released due to his
improved behavior, according to prison reports, after he had been detained for
traveling to join the ranks of ISIS in Syria.
The Vienna attack also caused turmoil in the European
community as a whole due to its assurances about the continuity of
communication between the leadership of the terrorist organization and its
affiliates abroad. After the attack, ISIS released a video clip of the
perpetrator declaring his allegiance to the leader of ISIS before carrying out
the attack.
The Austrian government believes that terrorism has the main
goal of weakening society and is divided among groups that do not believe in
national borders. The government has already taken important decisions to
combat extremism, as it issued in February 2019 a law banning the use of
symbols for extremist movements, including the Brotherhood and the Grey Wolves.
Challenges facing Europe’s fight against terrorism
The social and cultural centers of the international
Brotherhood, which are spread throughout European cities, remain an important
factor in the battle against radical ideology, as these centers act as
mouthpieces for the terrorist organization and its divisive ideas without a
clear declaration of organizational affiliation. Hence, the clear prohibition
of the group remains a challenge that recent legal adaptations have not been
able to confront.
In addition, social media and the internet remain a large
space for terrorist groups, despite European efforts to undermine this, and in
the same regard, laws have not been able to break the rules of respect for
information and the confidentiality of citizens' data.
