Terrorist Attacks Must
Not Prompt 'Laws of Exception' (O Globo, Brazil)
"A country
under attack, like the United States in 2001 and now in Boston, has the right
to defend itself. But the trauma ends up being reflected in laws of
exception that, in turn, endanger civil rights. It is a fine line that
separates a nation's defense from upholding protections of the individual. ... Given
the major events in Brazil, the attack in Boston reinforces the need to give
terrorism a more prominent place on the agenda of Brazilian authorities."
Every act of terrorism is ignominious, because it affects
the innocent. The attack on a mass sporting event is doubly so. It affronts the
ideal of physical culture and well-being that sport provides. The Boston attack
was aimed at people from various backgrounds and different cultures, and is a
symbol of aggression against humanity.
Terror has been used for centuries. But in such an intensive
and extensive form, it is a mark of our time. Modern society, with its
extraordinary ease of transport and communication, is vulnerable to the machinations
of sick minds, no matter how powerful and sophisticated the surveillance and
defense systems mounted by countries like the United States.
A state nuclear terrorist - Kim Jong-un
of North Korea - has threatened to fire missiles - and there was reason to
believe this could occur on Monday. The U.S., South Korea, Japan and other
nations were on high alert. But the explosions ended up occurring on Boylston
Street, 30 and 160 meters from the Boston Marathon finish line, amid an
audience gathered to watch the end of the race - the oldest long-distance foot
race in the world, which has been held since 1897. In the city where there are
such temples of knowledge and technology, like Harvard University and MIT, the
artifacts used were rudimentary, resembling pressure cookers with lethal
content - nails and fragments capable of tearing off the limbs of the innocent,
among them an 8-year-old boy, who was one of the deceased.
Terrorism as a way for organizations to fight in the name
of people in search of a country, of regions seeking independence and of
separatist groups, intensified in the second half of the 20th century. The Irish Republican Army
killed many innocent people in its quest for self-determination in Northern
Ireland. The ETA [Basque Homeland
and Freedom] did the same seeking independence for Spain's Basque country. Yasser
Arafat's Fatah transformed the
hijacking of large commercial aircraft into propaganda for the Palestinian struggle
against Israel. In the name of religion, groups with exotic interpretations of
the Quran boosted terrorism into a tool in their war against the West. The climax
of this was the attacks of September 11, 2001 against the World Trade Center in
New York, which killed almost 3,000 people. This was the work of al-Qaeda and
Osama bin Laden, who was killed by the in Pakistan by the United States in 2011.
Terrorism kills innocent people and puts democracy at risk.
A country under attack, like the United States in 2001 and now in Boston, has
the right to defend itself. But the trauma ends up being reflected in the laws
of exception that, in turn, endanger civil rights. It is a fine line that
separates a nation's defense from upholding protections of the individual. In
this way, terror causes everyone to lose.
Given the major events in Brazil, the attack in Boston
reinforces the need to give terrorism a more prominent place on the agenda of Brazilian
authorities. In June we'll host the Confederations Cup, and in July, Rio will welcome
World Youth Day with the Pope.
