From the Humanitarian Crisis to a State of Emergency

Abstract

This chapter contrasts the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 with the humanitarian refugee crisis. Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, a state of emergency was declared by the French government. On the international level, there was further securitization of Europe at the expense of civil liberties and due process. The second half of the chapter documents the power of the securitization discourse to induce fear and promote the dehumanization of those most in need. It demonstrates how the fear of terrorism became synonymous with the fear of refugees, leading countries to abandon their duty towards other human beings. As with the previous chapters, this chapter also explores state practices and state crimes in relation to political instability and terrorism, making evident how wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria not only led to the decay of human life (creating a climate where mass death became collateral damage), but also a reality where individuals had the choice of either joining a terrorist group or potentially dying trying to migrate to a place of safety.