Centuries-Old Flea Market In France Canceled This Year Over Terrorism Fears

[NWCorona]

Source: NPR

For centuries, the northern French town of Lille has been home to an autumn flea market — as famous for its party atmosphere as for its wealth of secondhand goods. Last year, more than 2 million people came to the weekend festival to gulp down oysters, drink all night and haggle over goods.

But La Braderie de Lille has been called off this year. After recent terrorist attacks in France, authorities say it is impossible to ensure security, NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports.

"Lille Mayor Martine Aubrey said canceling La Braderie was a gut-wrenching decision, but the city could not guarantee the safety of the more than 2 million visitors who show up for the street fair," Eleanor reports. "The head of Lille's Chamber Of Commerce called the cancellation an economic and cultural disaster.

Tradition or no, the mayor says that this year the risks were just too high.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/05/488860548/centuries-old-flea-market-in-france-canceled-this-year-over-terrorism-fears

[ananda]

1. That's how the terrorists win.

This is so sad.

[RelativelyJones]

3. +100

[NWCorona]

5. Indeed!

[christx30]

6. If they don't cancel it, and

another Bastille Day happens, city leaders have to answer to the families of the dead. "Why wasn't more done to ensure everyone's safety?" It sucks that it happens, but this is the reality of the world we live in.

[ret5hd]

7. That version/vision of reality is a world without...

major sporting events, concerts, city festivals, fun-runs, major mass transit (union station, penn station, etc), university dormitories, or anywhere else where large numbers congregate.

[christx30]

10. So what would you suggest?

Have the events and just hope nothing happens?

[ret5hd]

11. Ban all public congegations of greater than 3 people. Especially if they're brown.

[christx30]

12. Why is this always boiled down to a race thing?

This is NOT a race thing. 85 people died just 3 weeks ago due to one asshole in a truck. Terrorism is a real problem in France and Germany. The city leaders are using an abundance of caution. If they held the event and some idiot with a truck or a bomb or any number of inventive weapons killed 30-50 people, people would be screaming for blood.

[CBGLuthier]

13. Seen a lot of white terrorists in Europe lately?

They should hold the event. Giving in to the bastards lets them win.

[christx30]

17. Body counts let them win.

People being afraid to speak out let the terrorists win. Thwarted attacks, attempted terrorists being killed or imprisoned is the only way to win.
Stopping the terrorists from getting targets of opportunity is a good way of saving lives.

[ret5hd]

22. I agree!!! "A life lived online is a life lived safely" is my motto!

Thank god for Amazon and porn sites!

[EL34x4]

15. Yes.

This is exactly what we do.

[awoke_in_2003]

23. Yep

What else do you do? Do you cancel all sporting events because a lot of people are there? Do you shut down movie houses because a lot of people are there. You know what? A church is an excellent soft target- better be safe and shut those down.

[christx30]

24. Terrorist went into a french church and

stabbed the preacher and cut his throat last week. So I wouldn't be so flippant about it.

[awoke_in_2003]

25. Then they'd better

shut them down, just to be safe.

[christx30]

28. Here i the NY Times article about him

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/world/europe/jacques-hamel-85-a-beloved-french-priest-killed-in-his-church.html?_r=0

Tragic situation. There are no good answers. I'd want to err on the side of preservation of life.

[awoke_in_2003]

29. "There are no good answers"

I can agree with that. It is tough either way you go.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

32. Sporting events have defined entries & exits

An open air event like the one cancelled is much, much harder to secure, unfortunately.

[awoke_in_2003]

34. Good point

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[EL34x4]

16. Kinda like Afghanistan under the Taliban

No fun allowed.

[Yo_Mama]

19. France is starting its own national guard units so they will be able to provide better security

As it now is, their manpower is taken up with guarding the mass transit, etc.

This is their reality. Under the circumstances, it is a wise and necessary decision. Those circumstances suck.

[yeoman6987]

27. I think if a few more terror attacks happen,

All major events in Europe will be cancelled that don't guarantee safety. There is a major music fest yearly in Europe. I bet it's on the chopping block. I'd be sad to see octoberfest go but it may be possible if these terror attacks keep up. I've only been to octoberfest once and it was a great time.

[patsimp]

9. our way of life is changed because people will not defeat terrorism head on.

[Yo_Mama]

21. How? How is that to be done? Seems to me that's just words -

words that are meaningless under the circumstances. France has had over ten thousand military troops in its streets now for months. It's not stopping the violence. They have suspended some civil liberty rights in order to more effectively find wanna-bes and terrorist supporters. They haven't stopped it.

What do you expect them to do to defeat terrorism "head-on"?

[SMC22307]

31. You're a "people" -- how do you propose terrorism be defeated "head on"?

[uhnope]

2. my French contacts tell me lots of things there are being canceled or curtailed like this. n/t

[NWCorona]

4. Lots!

[oberliner]

8. One wonders what other European events will be similarly cancelled

[geek tragedy]

14. thank goodness for the atlantic ocean, protects us against this sort of

infiltration and concern

[uppityperson]

33. It's a sad day when I can not decide what is sarcasm and what isn't. eom

[geek tragedy]

35. The US is insulated from a lot of problems

To the east, the Atlantic, to the west, the Pacific, to the north Canada.

Where we interact with the rest of the planet, it's largely on our terms.

Europeans don't have that luxury.

[romanic]

18. Very sad.

France needs to get tough on all fronts, no excuses to cave into jihadists.

[Yo_Mama]

20. What would you suggest they do right now to hold this event?

They don't have the manpower to provide any sort of meaningful security.

The Germans are trying to figure out what they are going to do about Oktoberfest. Ban backpacks? They don't know.

France is a war zone.

[ansible]

26. If the government doesn't come up with a solution, Marine Le Pen will

[Initech]

30. Thanks BFEE - the war on terror has only created more terrorists!

[6chars]

36. they should learn to live with it