Major terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain as van mows down dozens

BBC News wrote:A van has ploughed into crowds in Barcelona's famous Las Ramblas tourist area.

18:13 - The police of Catalonia say one person has died and 32 have been injured, ten seriously, in the incident in Barcelona.

People were killed and injured as the vehicle sped along the pedestrianised area, sending many fleeing for cover in shops and cafes.

Witnesses said the van had deliberately targeted people before coming to a stop.

El Pais newspaper said the driver of the vehicle had fled on foot after mowing down dozens of people.

Police are treating the incident as a terror attack.

Spanish media reports say one or two armed men barricaded themselves inside a bar in the area after the attack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/40966524

Hard to know what to say, really. It's become almost normal.

gooseberry fool

They've really worked out how deadly vehicles can be

It is far too easy to commit acts of terrorism.

Needs to be some major questions asked of who is allowed to hire big vehicles and the layout and design of our cities. For example we can't now have a situation where a car can mount a bridge and drive on the pavement from one end to the other. If we have to live in a forest with trees everywhere, so be it.

I'm sure when Oxford Street is pedestrianised in the next few years no car is going to be able to get down there whatsoever.

KK wrote:Needs to be some major questions asked of who is allowed to hire big vehicles

How do you stop people hiring vans or buying cheap vans?

Even if you somehow do, they'll use a car. Or murder a lorry driver and steal his truck.

You can't stop this happening.

Restrict the hiring of vans? Not practical. Even if you did, cars can do enough damage.

And if you put bollards up to protect every street in a city, there's always another city, another town. You can't wall off every pavement in the country.

It ends with an SUV driven at a village school at home time.

Grim stuff, rip to the victims and hopefully the bad guys all end up dead.

banana splits

Stop creating the conditions for people to become radicalised and minimise these instances of people doing stupid gooseberry fool.

or we could just ban all kinds of transport because that's logical

Would not be surprised at all if this didn't have anything to do with Jihadi terror. It feels like their has been some kind of awakening and people now realise that they can get large death tolls through vehicle attacks without the need for fire arms.

It can potentially be prevented with street furniture, but that comes at a cost.

BID0 wrote:Stop creating the conditions for people to become radicalised and minimise these instances of people doing stupid gooseberry fool.

How though?

Does anyone seriously think ISIS and all the other terrorist groups would just down tools and go back to their normal lives if the West just completely pulled out of the Middle East? Would the West be prepared to walk away from the Middle East and just let groups like ISIS take a grip of the region?

Woah, gooseberry fool. Half an hour ago, reports were saying one dead. Now it's 13.

Ad7 wrote:banana splits

This.
Sadly its becoming too common and no end in sight.

Preezy wrote:
BID0 wrote:Stop creating the conditions for people to become radicalised and minimise these instances of people doing stupid gooseberry fool.

How though?

Does anyone seriously think ISIS and all the other terrorist groups would just down tools and go back to their normal lives if the West just completely pulled out of the Middle East? Would the West be prepared to walk away from the Middle East and just let groups like ISIS take a grip of the region?

Stop selling weapons to them.
Stop destabilising the region and interfering in elections.
Accept refugees from the region.
Stop bombing areas.
Supply Aid.

Will it completely eradicate these groups? No of course not, but it'll make their argument far less attractive to people who have no future/hope for themselves or their families.

Preezy wrote:
BID0 wrote:Stop creating the conditions for people to become radicalised and minimise these instances of people doing stupid gooseberry fool.

How though?

Does anyone seriously think ISIS and all the other terrorist groups would just down tools and go back to their normal lives if the West just completely pulled out of the Middle East? Would the West be prepared to walk away from the Middle East and just let groups like ISIS take a grip of the region?

ISIS claim credit for anything that happens, its very rarely actually them doing anything. They like to be seen as the big bad, when in actual fact they're a diminishing group.

The perpetrators of attacks like this are usually lone wolves or people inspired by the radical ideas of ISIS like groups. Taking ISIS out will not stop them, they are the Islamic equivalent of the White spree shooters in American schools.

We can try and spot problem signs/behaviour early, we can stop mainstream media demonising Muslims with hatefilled editorials. We can try and improve the lives of young people (of whatever race or religion) to give them hope of a decent future. We can arrest and seriously punish people found to be preaching and spreading sectarian hatred.

My cousin was about to go for a holiday in Barcelona literally tomorrow. The airline has been good enough to refund her considering recent events.

As for actions the west can take to help prevent terrorism; they could start by ending support for the regimes such as Saudi Arabia. Giving money, weapons and support to corrupt governments whilst knowing full well that it could end up being used to take the lives of your own citizens is criminal.

7256930752

Meep wrote:As for actions the west can take to help prevent terrorism; they could start by ending support for the regimes such as Saudi Arabia. Giving money, weapons and support to corrupt governments whilst knowing full well that it could end up being used to take the lives of your own citizens is criminal.

I know it's widely 'known' but are there any facts about countries supporting terrorism? Stopping the financing has to be the best way to put an end to this.

Hime wrote:
Meep wrote:As for actions the west can take to help prevent terrorism; they could start by ending support for the regimes such as Saudi Arabia. Giving money, weapons and support to corrupt governments whilst knowing full well that it could end up being used to take the lives of your own citizens is criminal.

I know it's widely 'known' but are there any facts about countries supporting terrorism? Stopping the financing has to be the best way to put an end to this.

Saudi Arabia's main faith is Wahhabism which takes the literal interpretation of the Koran so support from the government is known.

What an absolute nightmare we live in now. Enforcing mundane objects to remain mundane and not weapons of mass killings and terror is impossible. What the strawberry float can anyone actually do?

I suppose the solution would be to address the reasons why radicalization is so effective to begin with; what makes these people feel so alienated and angry that they have to turn to radical religion.

Major terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain as van mows down dozens

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