Before writing off Schengen, though, it is worth pausing for thought. It was introduced in an early format in 1985, and finalised in the 1990s. This meant it was implemented after the Baader Meinhof Gang kidnapped West German industrialist Hanns-Martin Schleyer in 1977. He was kidnapped and initially held in West Germany, before being moved to Brussels and finally murdered in France, where his body was dumped. This in turn came three years after the same organisation had taken hostages at the West German embassy in Sweden, having planned and armed for the attack in West Germany.
Schengen was also introduced after the Provisional IRA had received huge quantities of weapons from Libya, and driven them to targets in Germany and Spain. After ETA had carried out its campaign for a Basque homeland in both France and Spain. After Black September murdered Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. After the Secret Army Organisation, dedicated to overthrowing the French government, had operated out of bases in Spain. Or the Italian Red Brigades sought refuge in France.
My point is, a Europe with border controls did not stop terrorist attacks. It also did not stop the seeming ease with which these people travel across the Continent to carry out their murderous actions.
So let's not tear up the Schengen Agreement. There will, unfortunately always be idiots and lunatics prepared to commit harm. And sometimes, what we put in their way will not be enough. But that is no reason to reverse a quarter of a century of progress. As a school teacher, I know that punishing everyone for the actions of a few is bad practice, and breeds resentment.
Besides, the past we'd be returning to was not all it is being made out to be.
Schengen was also introduced after the Provisional IRA had received huge quantities of weapons from Libya, and driven them to targets in Germany and Spain. After ETA had carried out its campaign for a Basque homeland in both France and Spain. After Black September murdered Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. After the Secret Army Organisation, dedicated to overthrowing the French government, had operated out of bases in Spain. Or the Italian Red Brigades sought refuge in France.
My point is, a Europe with border controls did not stop terrorist attacks. It also did not stop the seeming ease with which these people travel across the Continent to carry out their murderous actions.
So let's not tear up the Schengen Agreement. There will, unfortunately always be idiots and lunatics prepared to commit harm. And sometimes, what we put in their way will not be enough. But that is no reason to reverse a quarter of a century of progress. As a school teacher, I know that punishing everyone for the actions of a few is bad practice, and breeds resentment.
Besides, the past we'd be returning to was not all it is being made out to be.
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