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READINGLess than 24 hours after the coordinated terror attacks that rocked Paris on Friday night, the blame game had already begun, with the European Union's open border policy (that has allowed free movement for refugees seeking asylum) coming under fire. Over the last year, more than 700,000 requests for asylum have been submitted to European countries by refugees fleeing horrific violence and persecution in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries. Details about the identities of the seven Paris attackers are just beginning to emerge, but early indications suggest at least one of them may have come from Syria. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said on Saturday that a Syrian passport was found near the body of a suicide bomber at the Stade de France, north of Paris. Greece's Ministry of Citizen Protection said the person who owned the passport entered the European Union on October 3rd through the Greek island of Leros. Other unconfirmed reports said two men linked to the attacks registered as migrants in Greece.Others involved in the plot were reportedly Europeans. One of the gunmen killed during the siege of the Bataclan concert hall was reportedly a 30-year-old Frenchman from Courcouronnes, a suburb about 20 miles south of Paris. Police have also made arrests in a Brussels neighbourhood where three of the attackers are believed to have lived. Meanwhile, German officials have said they have "reason to believe" that a man arrested in Bavaria earlier in November with a car full of explosives was also linked to the attacks.But the speculation and rumours surrounding the nationalities of the attackers has already stirred up anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiment. In a speech at a press conference on Saturday, Marine le Pen, the leader of France's right-wing National Front party, called for tighter border control, "It's indispensable that France regain control of its borders permanently.”A number of right-wing politicians and newspapers have cited the Syrian passport that was found as a vindication of their previous reluctance to take in refugees, and a justification for excluding Syrian refugees in the future.In a statement made to a right-wing news outlet, Konrad Szymanski, Poland's incoming European affairs minister, said that his government could no longer accept the European Union's refugee quota. "In the face of the tragic acts in Paris," Szymanski said, "we do not see the political possibilities to implement [this]."German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been a fervent advocate for the EU's open border policy and the attacks on Paris have triggered fresh criticisms of her refugee policies. Making the case for open borders, Merkel has appealed to Europeans' humanity, saying that accepting refugees was "the right thing to do."In a two-day summit that took place just days before Friday's attack, EU officials gathered in Malta to discuss ways to stem the flow of refugees, resolving to offer Turkey 3 billion euros to accommodate refugees flowing over its Syrian border and prevent them from making their way to Europe through the Balkans. During the summit, Merkel expressed reluctance to reinstate border controls in Germany. Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soder was quick to link the Paris attacks with the surge of refugees, urging tighter border control. "It cannot be that we don't know who is coming to Germany," Soder told Die Welt am Sonntag. "This situation must be brought to an end by any means."It remains to be seen whether Europe is frightened enough to succumb to the populist notion of security that would exclude all Syrian refugees. Needless to say, such a course of action would have terrible consequences for a refugee population that includes many victims of ISIL.On the other side of the pond, President Barack Obama said the US would accept as many as 10,000 Syrian refugees if the government can complete screening and clearance processes in time. Obama's plan is also now under attack, decried by Texas Senator Ted Cruz as "lunacy."More than a dozen US states are refusing to take in anymore refugees. Among them are Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. The state of Alabama’s governor has said that he "will not place Alabamians at even the slightest possible risk of an attack on our people".The International Rescue Committee is calling for the U.S. to resettle 65,000 Syrian refugees by the end of next year and President Barack Obama has urged the US to "step up and do its part" to help those fleeing the civil war. "Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values," he said. "Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both."General comprehension (short answers are expected).a) How many asylum requests have been submitted by refugees over the past year? b) Who was reportedly from Courcouronnes? c) Who do German officials believe was linked to the attacks in Paris? d) Who is Marine Le Pen and what does she want to happen? e) What does the German Chancellor believe is the right thing to do? f) What was the reason for the summit that took place in Malta just days before the attacks? g) What solution did the EU officials come up with at this summit? h) How many refugees did Obama say the US would take in? i) Who called the president’s plan “lunacy”? j) Who has asked the US to resettle 65,000 refugees?- Find an appropriate title for this article.- In retrospect: This article was published last year, shortly after the Bataclan attack. Has the situation evolved? What has been implemented? What has changed? What is the new state of affairs? ................
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