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France has declared a national state of emergency and has closed its borders after at least 40 people were killed in multiple shootings in Paris.
At least 15 people were killed near the Bataclan arts centre, where up to 60 people are being held hostage. Explosions and gunfire are reported.
Three people were killed in an attack near the Stade de France, with some reports suggesting a suicide blast.
Paris authorities have urged people to stay indoors.
Military personnel are being deployed across Paris.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/13/455943961/violence-reported-in-paris
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/13/world/paris-shooting/index.html
Update #1 [BBC updates]:
Scores of people have been killed in multiple gun and bomb attacks in Paris
At least 100 people are reported to have died inside the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris
Others died in attacks near the Stade de France, where France were playing Germany, and at restaurants
France has declared a national state of emergency and has closed its borders
Paris residents have been asked to stay indoors and military personnel are being deployed across the city
[...] Reuters. quoting an un-named official at Paris City Hall, says the current death toll in Paris is around 140.
According to the Paris prosecutor, of the four assailants who died during the sidge at the Bataclan, three committed suicide by detonating explosive vests. The prosecutor has warned that some of their accomplices may "still be on the loose".
[...] Here is what French president François Hollande told reporters outside the Bataclan concert hall just now: "To all those who have seen these awful things, I want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow."
(Score: 5, Interesting) by SanityCheck on Saturday November 14 2015, @01:34AM
I'm not sure about that. A lot of European countries are monocultural. It's a fact. Look at Iceland. In Iceland they are very scared of losing their culture. It's a tiny country, getting closer and closer to a bigger continent. They want to maintain their culture and independence. What are you going to do? Invade them and force them to become multicultural?
There is nothing wrong in wanting to maintain your own culture in a place where your ancestors have been for thousand+ years. I may feel comfortable living in a country that has people of different colors and sizes. I move to the US and did my best to become like everyone else here. I learned the language, I even strongly identify with the people here, even thou I was not born here. It is interesting place, and mostly one of a kind, where you can be welcomed with open arms. But I would be a total douche if I thought that a tiny country half way around the world not wanting to live the same way should yield to the American way.
Now as far as people who want to move into a land that is not theirs AND not assimilate. That is not multiculturalism, that is a fuckin invasion. I have a little saying I pieced together over the years from what I noticed about what it means to be a man, and a master of one's own fate, and it goes something like this: "If you walk into a man's home and start telling him how he should run it, he will punch you and, you will deserve it. If you walk into a man's country and tell him how he should run it, he will kill you, and you will deserve it."
(Score: 2) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Saturday November 14 2015, @04:28AM
Interestingly, while the Icelandic government is blocking Syrian refugees, the people as a whole are pushing to bring in more of them. My favorite Icelandic blogger posted about how proud she was of her countrymen, and how shocked she was by the Facebook comments she got about how the refugees would threaten Iceland's purity.
https://www.facebook.com/icelandweatherreport/?fref=nf [facebook.com]
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Saturday November 14 2015, @05:21AM
When I say they are example of a culture that is trying to maintain their identity I didn't mean specifically when it comes to the migrants. That itself is one threat (although a big one). But there are other, smaller threats that are coming from all over. One example of them trying to stop it is things like this. [wikipedia.org] It's meant to try to protect their language from encroaching foreign influence form Europe and beyond. Just imagine if people see Hollywood movies and start naming their kids after Actors or even worse characters from the movies. A given name is the most iconic thing that defines a culture (Just look at all the people named Mohammad et al.). What a huge blow to have the names that have been used for centuries wiped out of existence by encroaching foreign culture.
And yes of course just like with any country, there are two sides to the issue. I mean for every one person trying to conserve the culture, there is some younger person who hasn't reached the ripe age when they realize how much a culture means to its people (personal anecdote, I have recently in my 30s begun to think of how much my ancestral culture means to me, feelings I didn't really have until relatives around me started to die off from old age)
But regardless of who is in which camp, and how many of them are, not being Icelandic we should best keep our commentary to minimum and stay the hell away, let them sort it out. Sure there might be 60% people, or even higher, who think it's OK to let in 10000 foreigners. But their opinions on the matter might change when the second generation of these migrants turn out to entrench themselves in a ghetto, not speaking the local language, and just cash government subsidies while studying in Madrasas all day. Being that Iceland is VERY atheist country (probably most in all of Europe), an ultra-religious minority looking to impose Shira on the population might not really sit well with even the most liberal of the lot.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 14 2015, @07:45AM
> If you walk into a man's country and tell him how he should run it, he will kill you, and you will deserve it.
I've heard that before. It carries on: if you fly drones into a man's country and launch cruise missiles at him, he will welcome you as a liberator throwing petals at your feet and give you cheap oil.