Nice Attack Raises Questions About Extremism, Tolerance & Identity

In the aftermath of an attack that killed more than 80 people, the world is still looking for answers.

(Image altered by The Quint/Hardeep Singh)

In the aftermath of yet another attack in France, a lot of questions have been raised about who the perpetrator was and what drove him to such actions.

Previous attacks, which have killed more than 140 people in the last year, were clearly tied to extremist Islamic groups. The most recent attack, however, has been less clear. Though the perpetrator was Muslim, no group has claimed credit for the massacre.

But that hasn’t stopped people on social media from making assumptions about the shooter and his motivations. And the conversation surrounding this crisis is reflective of a growing anti-immigrant sentiment across Europe.

A study from the Pew Research Centre found that Europeans fear immigration will lead to a rise in terrorist attacks. Many far-right politicians are capitalising on these fears to further their political agendas – and it’s working. The French Front National party won more than half of the regional elections in the aftermath of the November 2015 Paris attacks .

But many of the attacks on French soil have been perpetrated by French nationals, including the attack in Nice. The Quint looks at the rising anti-immigrant sentiment and the reality of home-grown extremism in France.

Video Editor: Sashant Kumar