(PARIS) France-- In my more than 40-years in broadcasting and media, I've never seen an overwhelming outpouring of love, compassion, and concern like I have seen here in Paris. The whole world is standing with the French and grieving in the aftermath of the horrific terror attacks.
As I stood last night at Place De La Republique, I overheard a boom box blasting out John Lennon's Imagine.
But it will take more than dreams and imagination to bring about change, to eliminate this threat and more bloody massacres like this one in France.
French multiculturalism, open European borders, and compassion for Middle Eastern migrants may have allowed this attack. More may come if policies and responses do not change.
We told you late last summer that ISIS said at least 4,000 of its jihadists had infiltrated the ranks of migrants sweeping into Europe. Hungary received extensive criticism for closing its border and building a fence. Now we know why: the Hungarians wanted to protect themselves and Europe for terrorist acts like the one here in Paris.
Greece reportedly has admitted one of the terrorists had migrated to Greece, was processed and then proceeded on to western Europe. He reportedly possessed a forged Syrian passport. Another terrorist has been identified as a French national, 29-Ismael Omar Mostefai. He is a product of French multiculturalism. My colleague Dale Hurd has reported about Muslim enclaves in the suburbs of France and how many young French Muslims are becoming radicalized there.
The question now is, will France, the United States and others respond by continuing to lull themselves to sleep with Imagine, or will they act with determined aggression to finally end this ongoing (and worsening) global threat.?
Take a brief look at Paris in mourning: