France is that it?

There’s been a reaction all around the world against the attacks that saw 17 murdered in France. Lots of people went for a rather long walk in Paris and others did the same all around France. Flags were waved as were signs. Many millions of copies of the attacked magazine Charlie Hebdo have been sold. Many brave people even wore badges saying things like “Je Suis Charlie”.

There are now 5,000 soldiers guarding Jewish schools in France and a further 5,000 guarding other possible targets. They are there temporarily, there is of course no suggestion that this is possible on a permanent basis. The Jewish victims of the attack were buried in Jerusalem yesterday. The dead are buried and Kaddish has been said and the 200,000NIS bill that was to be presented to the families was quickly withdrawn by Naphtali Bennett. The French Parliament has voted to continue with air strikes against the Islamic State.

My question is, is that it?

Because when the dust settles and the immediate public outrage is vented and politicians have made their speeches things rather tend to go back to ‘normal’. In the banlieues of Paris and elsewhere in France there isn’t necessarily the assumption that the outrage shown by many citizens and politicians is righteous. In fact the conspiracy theorists and Islamists have already emerged from their holes to pick up right where they left off and peddle myths that it was a Mossad conspiracy or a Jewish plot to discriminate against Muslims that is the real terror here.

So the big question is, what happens next? What are the implications for French policy that will emerge as a result of this terror attack? Once all of the outrage dissipates and the politicians go back to their daily campaigns of trying to figure out how to remain popular and use the latest issue to campaign on what will be different in the post Charlie Hebdo France?

What happens to the Jews of France once the outrage dies down and the pins saying “Je Suis Juif” are removed and forgotten?

What will governments across Europe do to counter the problems that are growing in their own constituencies?

The infamous Dieudonne the so-called stand up comedian who came up with the reverse Nazi salute known as the Quenelle has been arrested for writing a (since deleted) Facebook post identifying with the terrorist who murdered Jews. He will, no doubt, receive some small penalty from the judiciary and once again be the feted hero of the malcontents, the Islamists, the disenfranchised.

What will the government do to prevent this atrocity from happening again?

What long term measures will be taken when this attack is no longer a fresh wound and has become a forgotten scar?