Why It Was Americans

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The following article (as translated by doxRaven) appeared today in a mainstream German newspaper. The translator includes this brief note:

I think the article is quite extraordinary in what it raises in the last paragraph. Europe may, just may, be slowly waking up — though regrettably a lot more blood will have to flow before they are fully awake.

The translated piece from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:

Why It Was Americans

Three Americans risked their lives to prevent a bloodbath in a European Thalys train. Was that a coincidence — or are Americans better prepared for Islamist terrorism?

Europe is alarmed — once again. After the foiled attack by the Islamist Ayoub El Khazzani on a high-speed Thalys train, the security levels in parts of Western Europe have been elevated. A typical reflex reaction. French security is running patrols, and Belgium and Netherlands are contemplating letting their police patrol platforms and trains with automatic weapons. This or that traveller may gain a sense of security from that; however, this will not prevent attacks.

Radical Islamists, who are only too eager to follow the calls on the Internet by the Islamic State to massacre as many non-believers as possible, are already within Europe. Some are even battled-hardened returnees from the Syrian civil war. However, the history of Islamist attacks shows that only in exceptional cases do subsequent attacks follow the same pattern.

Terror attacks by the soldiers of Allah are difficult to predict, and they may occur anywhere in the world at any time. To realise this requires no further examples after the cascade of terror seen his year, the Charlie Hebdo massacre just being one of them. The French security service alone is tracking 5,000 individuals. Too many to monitor around the clock. The lesson is a different one.

While the train personnel apparently bolted, barricading themselves in a train carriage and leaving the travellers to fend for themselves, three young Americans took the initiative. Alek Skarlatos, Spence Stone and Anthony Sadler, risking their lives, wrestled the man — who would have tuned the Thalys into a tube of death — to the ground. That two of them were soldiers, one of them having recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, is no coincidence. The willingness to sacrifice their lives for others essentially comes with the job, even when this aspect of being a soldier is all too readily put aside in this part of the world. Would German paratroopers or French foreign legionnaires would have acted in the same manner had they been in the train compartment? Probably yes. However, one can’t count on a solider being nearby every time an Islamist decides to commit an attack.

In the event of a terror attack, the individual cannot rely on state authority; he has to take his destiny into his own hands, and do whatever is within his capabilities. In the Unites States people have a belief in their own defence. This can lead to its own problems; however, that belief saved hundreds of lives in our backyard. This should make us think.

33 thoughts on “Why It Was Americans”

  1. Oh I’m sure that many Europeans will now be thinking about how they will react when the next jihadist chooses a place and a time for the next massacre that they may find themselves in. But will those useless and cowardly, politically correct, multicultural fantasists, that now passes as their government, stop and think?

  2. Socialist statism always leads to a “not my job” attitude. People are assigned jobs and duties and if your duty isn’t to fight terrorists or protect passengers then it’s “not my job!” After all, that’s supposed to be the job of the police and if you try to do their job then you might get prosecuted, especially if you actually dare to defend yourself or someone else. It might make the police look bad if you do the job that is rightfully theirs. How dare you assume their authority!

    And if you do anything that is only authorized for union employees then expect to get in trouble.

    Everyone must depend on the central authority, the state, and everyone must not do anything that is not their job or they should expect to get punished.

    I already see this attitude in certain areas of the U.S. but it seems to have become more common in Europe and to a lesser extent Canada.

    • “Bless you, Nimrod, for your wisdom and mature ideas.

      “Everyone must depend on the central authority, the state, and everyone . . .”

      And these failing, elected dictatorships go to war to remove bad one-party, central governments.

      All elected dictators in the west have been working hard over the last 50 years for the glory of islam. We elect them to work for muslims. And because there are pseudo elections, our pleasure is in fooling others that we are free who to choose to “represent us”, No, more accurately to represent muslims whether they are here or in Pakistan and Turkey.

  3. As a European by birth, I feel indebted to those three men for saving countless lives on that train. The free spirit of America was definitely a part of their acting so bravely. We all have to stand up and protect our civilization – for there is no higher and more important value than her. Without the freedoms we enjoy our lives would be a slavery – Islamic slavery.

  4. There’s another reason it was Americans (though it should be noted that a Briton and a Frenchman took part in stopping the attack): Europeans are seldom exposed to guns, either recreationally or in military service, so when one appears, the usual reaction is panic. “Oh, dear — a terrible horrible legally prohibited GUN!” For Americans, however, exposure to firearms is still fairly common, thus innoculating them against such timorousness.

  5. I presume Ayoub was not authorized to possess a semi-automatic or automatic rifle, let alone conceal it on his person.

    The wrong person had the weapon of his choice. The right people were unarmed and helpless but for the presence of these great guys and their situational awareness and tactical advantage. Not one of the right people would have harmed anyone if armed and otherwise going about their daily life.

    Disarming the right people just makes it easy for scum to dominate and kill them. And the government is safe from the wrath of the people.

    This is tiresome to keep pointing out.

  6. In France, the justice system is such that if French citizens would have done what these Americans did, they would face trial and sentenced for racially aggravated assault against this “peaceful” muslim.

    Stories abound in France where citizens defending themselves against armed home (or shop or business) invaders find themselves behind bars whilst the violent thieves are given freedom and compensation.

    Furthermore, so far every “peaceful muslim attack” in France has resulted in added benefits for the muslim community.

    Why stop?

    • I have seen rumors that a French citizen was involved in fighting the terrorist, but I can’t find any articles that state this. Nothing in the press about who this citizen might be, no photos, etc.

      Is it possible that a French citizen, if he were involved, would keep quiet and deny involvement because he fears prosecution?

      Can anyone find any information about this mysterious French person who is rumored to have aided in stopping the attack?

  7. Humans have a fight or flight reaction to such situations. The vast majority of people have a natural tendency to flight. A few have an unstoppable fight instinct – even if it would likely lose them their lives. For obvious reasons members of the armed forces have a much higher ratio of “fighters”. This is not just applicable to US citizens. Having known some former members of the French Foreign Legion for example – they would not have ran away – they are an elite fighting regiment.

    • I know. I couldn’t find one of all 3 Americans together. The other one was in the hospital when all the press conferences took place.

  9. Americans have not spent centuries indoctrinated in socialism and thereby still believe in individual action.

    • I think Europeans have been rendered eunuchs by their own crappy governments and hot air elections. People don’t do the right thing if they are not brought to task after committing crimes. Just look at hussein.

  10. It’s not necessarily true that an American would react in the manner these men did. Remember how, over the Independence Day weekend, a SJW (Social Justice Warrior, or socialist justice warrior) was approached by a thug who wanted his phone. He dutifully handed it over, then allowed himself to be stabbed to death. Never fought back. Nor did any passengers do anything but look on in horror. There is a definite relationship between a collectivist/individualist mindset and the willingness to defend oneself and one’s clan. Which IMO is why they’ve been working so hard to beat a collectivist, less masculine, and more submissive attitude into school children for decades.

  11. The lesson here:

    We (the people of the West or of Christianity) are on the front lines–WHEREVER on earth we happen to be located. The [redacted] headchoppers are literally everywhere,
    and by now are both supported and well-protected by our “authorities”.
    Most of the coming battle will be to fight our way TO get ACCESS to our enemy.
    Weapons are essential–but due to our draconian laws a bit (large bit) of creativity will be necessary.

  12. The lessons of the struggle at the gates of Vienna in 1683 against Islamist expansion and aggression resonate in the actions of these individuals (led by three Americans): shared values, individual willingness to commit and contribute.
    Left-wing liberalism in Europe is white-anting (to use an descriptive Australian term) their host societies to the point that individual as well as collective willingness to act in the face of clear and present danger is being irreparably eroded. Thanks to this corrosive ideology, we in western Europe are now expertly trained in and equipped with victimhood.

  13. I’m proud of the Americans. I think the majority of humans–in general–might have done the same thing with the right circumstances: You are young. You are in good shape. You know gun cocking receiver noises and hear them close by. The shooting hasn’t started yet and you have surprised the shooter. You feel stronger than him.

    Just think of all the people who save others from shark attacks or yank them off train tracks or push them away from speeding cars or break up animal attacks on humans. We are better than our journalists depict because they must sell their stories.

  14. I’ve used Spanish railways a few times in the last couple of years. Following (I imagine) the Madrid bombings, all passengers’ luggage on long-distance and international trips is scanned, and it’s nowhere near as big a deal, or delay, as the hassle airline passengers have to put up with. Maybe there’s a lesson there?

    • And wasn’t there a fund raising drive so that the hero could drink in his local pub for literally the rest of his life? Great stuff!

  16. I remember being on a plane at another Scottish airport. There was a delay, and the tannoy sparked up and said that an “extra” piece of luggage had been found on board. Immediately, a bunch of big hairy Scotsmen stood up and started scanning the rest of the passengers. If a misunderstander of the RoP had been on board, and had thought it might be a good idea to start yelling out the takbir, well lets just say there would have been what Bill Mclaren used to call a wee spot of fisticuffs. Oh aye.

  17. Having said all that, if I was travelling anywhere, for any reason, and found myself sitting next to three American marines, I’d be highly delighted.

    If only our politicians had their [manly generative organs].

    • Well said that man. Notice how he got his message out immediately, before they got the chance to ‘frame’ the discussion in some other way.

  19. Good comments all – but what fascinated me is the, fact that, as the translator points out in a different manner, the article is quite extraordinary in what it raises in the last paragraph where it suggest that maybe the Americans have it right and that individuals need to take responsibility for their own defense.

    This is extraordinary and as the translator suggest may be a sign that Europe may be waking up. This was written by a journalist, and it was published in a European paper! European newspapers and journalist, like those in America, are creatures of the left. The man in European street is awake, or awakening. So while this is good news, it is too soon to celebrate – actually I think we should wait until Europe is muzzy free.

  20. In these parts the enrichers do their shopping from the front of the checkout queues going too and throw to the grocery aisles while the other customers stand in line. The enrichers take advantage knowing that the locals will not chastise their behaviour for the very real fear of being prosecuted as a racist should their be an altercation.

    Salute to the Thalys train Lions.

  21. It was Americans because our genes still carry faint echoes of the pioneer mentality that built this nation from a tenuous coastal enclave to a hyperpower that landed men on the moon.

  23. Europeans are as just as likely to become superheroes by watching a Superman movie.

    Americans are the modern equivalent to ancient Spartans.

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