Francisco Villacampa
Specialist in International Terrorism and Professor of International Public Law at the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU
March 11 is the European Remembrance Day for the Victims of Terrorism in memory of the victims of the March 2004 attacks in Madrid, which cost the lives of 193 citizens and injured thousands more. Every year, since 2005, the European Union recognizes the victims of terrorist barbarities.
Victims of terrorism occupy a very prominent place in the European Union’s policies against terrorism. The European institution has established a strong legal framework to support and protect victims across Europe through, among other legal instruments, the Victims’ Rights Directive and the Directive on Combating Terrorism. It is also timely to note the creation, in January 2020, of the EU Advisory Centre for Victims of Terrorism to assist Member States and national victim support organizations with guidelines and training activities.
The anniversary of the terrible attacks comes at a time when jihadist terrorism remains one of the main threats to international security. It should not be overlooked that jihadist terrorists retain the ability to carry out, direct or inspire attacks. This danger is often evident in numerous geographical areas of the planet, such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
Numerous jihadist organizations related to one of the two blocs into which jihadism is divided -Al Qaeda on the one hand and the Islamic State on the other- operate in these territories. Although they are currently divided, mainly due to the discrepancy between their main leaders with regard to the strategy to be followed to achieve their objectives, it cannot be ruled out that they may merge in the future. If this were to happen, the capacity of global jihadism to perpetrate mega-terrorist attacks would increase considerably.
It should also be noted that it is not only jihadist terrorism that threatens the stability of societies. Terrorist actions by far-left and far-right groups are becoming increasingly common. Recent attacks inspired by racism and white supremacism are a clear example of the concern generated by these organizations.
Despite this latest trend, it must be reiterated that the main focus of concern remains jihadist terrorism. As far as Europe is concerned, in recent years, most attacks have been perpetrated by radicalized individuals in their own environments, without the need to go to territories under the control of terrorist organizations. In this regard, it should be noted that since 2019, the movement of European citizens to places of conflict can be terminated. At the moment, the danger lies with returned terrorist fighters and those who have not managed to return but intend to do so. Also posing a challenge is the release from prison of those serving sentences for crimes related to jihadist terrorism or who have been radicalized in the prison itself. To avoid the latter, it is crucial to continue to strengthen policies and strategies to prevent radicalization and violent extremism.
The consequences of COVID-19 have also had an impact on terrorist activity. The health crisis has led to a reduction of resources in the fight against terrorism in order to prioritize the containment of the pandemic, while the restrictions imposed for health reasons may have “limited” the activities of jihadist cells.
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