On Friday’s Breitbart News Daily, SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam asked former UN Ambassador John Bolton about Tunisian jihadi Anis Amir’s murder spree in Berlin, using a hijacked truck from Poland, followed by a getaway that took him across several European countries with ease before he was brought down in Italy.
“It is precisely the kind of freedom of movement within Europe that the pro-Schengen advocates wanted,” Bolton pointed out, referring to the agreement that effectively erased Europe’s borders. “They keep analogizing Europe to the United States, when the analogy doesn’t work. Just because you can go between Maryland and Virginia, just as if you’re traveling within Maryland, doesn’t mean that Europe is ready for that.”
“And yet, this is what they’ve exposed themselves to. It underlines the problem that the threat of the terrorists, detecting the terrorists and restraining them, is not simply at the point of entry on the border, whether it’s a land border, airport, or whatever it might be. The tragedy in Berlin proves not only that Germany couldn’t control its borders. It can’t even deal with threats once they’re manifest,” he said.
“You know, they tried to deport this fellow to Tunisia because that’s where he said he was from. The Tunisian government said, ‘We don’t think he’s Tunisian.’ So they just let him go! I mean, it’s just unbelievable,” Bolton exclaimed. “Where he needs to be is in a detention center until he decides to tell the truth, let us know what country he’s from, and if it’s Syria, great, he goes back to a refugee camp.”
“The German unwillingness to do what is necessary has apparently, at least, as far as we know, helped contribute to this tragedy. And that problem is endemic across Europe, and I suspect it’s pretty widespread in the United States, too,” Bolton declared.
“Here’s a philosophical question: Do you think a country like the United States – or the United Kingdom, or any country – do you think a country is entitled to treat citizens differently from non-citizens?” Bolton asked, after Kassam outlined the elite’s apparent consensus that accepting refugees from Middle Eastern war zones as quickly as possible trumps all security concerns.
“If you do, then it’s perfectly reasonable to say we’re going to screen people before they come in. We’re going to insist that they check in with law enforcement authorities. We’re going to be particularly concerned about people who may come with certain diseases, who come from countries where there’s an illegal drug cultivation problem, people who come from regions where there’s terrorism,” Bolton continued. “Because our first duty as a government is to protect our citizens, our innocent civilians from outside threats.”
“Now, if you don’t believe that, then fine. Then you do believe in open borders, and your concept of a country is just arbitrary lines drawn on a map. I think the overwhelming majority of Americans – and I suspect, country by country in Europe, an overwhelming majority there – would fundamentally reject that point of view. But they’re not in control of this. The high-minded elites who are in control just couldn’t care less about the feelings of the average citizen,” he said.
Kassam noted that the Berlin attacker was apparently known to German security agencies, and they are aware of terror cells operating in their country. He asked Bolton if he thought there was any chance the German leadership would take terrorism more seriously in the wake of the Christmas market massacre.
“I think Chancellor Merkel’s got a decision to make here,” Bolton replied. “She faces elections next year. Although she remains, I think, personally pretty popular, the discontent with a lot of her policies is very high. And so she could shift policy. She could insist on greater scrutiny and greater protection for German citizens. She may see it politically to her advantage to do it. But right now, there’s no evidence that that’s about to happen.”
Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
LISTEN:
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.