I'm with Howard on this one, and to an extent that means I disagree with Pete. To treat suspects - even those remanded into custody awaiting trial, who still have a presumption of innocence until proven guilty - any differently because they are themselves "different" will only serve to further accentuate their perceived differences and grievances.
It's not yet clear what affiliations to which organizations the perpetrator of the Nice atrocity had. What does seem to be emerging fairly clearly is that he was a disenfranchised young man, a petty criminal, out of work, with few prospects and little reason to feel integrated into French society. Not that any of that excuses him, of course, but it is an inescapable observation that those with least to lose are the most likely to choose to die in this way. And promising any programme that singles them out for even the perception of "unfair" treatment is only going to lead in one direction.
France's problems are, of course, multiple and complex. Interdepartmental rivalries and lack of communication between intelligence and policing agencies is not new, nor is it unique to France, but several commentators have called it out today as a contributing factor. The rise of the FN and the shifting of the political dialogue (so that it becomes acceptable to ban some religious clothing or headwear while allowing others, for example) is a serious problem. The fact that the FN is now a force in mainstream politics, and Le Pen commands the attention of national news media, is both symptomatic and illustrative of the size of that challenge. The rest of the political world in France needs to have the balls to stop pandering to the lowest common denominator, even if that means short-term electoral pain.
A combination of a more moderate political stance, better policing, and more efficient and effective intelligence gathering would go a long way to help; none of those things is a panacea, and none of them will happen quickly or easily. Meanwhile, the world grieves once again for the innocent victims who are caught up in the nightmarish mess that takes place when the ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité collide with a dangerous mix of extremist ideology, warped religious sentiment, social disaffection, and a willingness to die for "the cause."
I thought the cyclist Romain Bardet captured the sentiment rather beautifully this morning before the start of the Tour de France's time trial stage. He tweeted: "Etre français, se retrouver, célébrer, s'aimer. Et ne jamais renoncer. Je pense à Nice." Roughly, that's "Be French: gather together, celebrate, love one another. And never give up. My thoughts are with Nice."
