Over the weekend, 49 people were killed and many more injured in a terrorist attack at an Orlando nightclub. ISIS claimed responsibility.
The attack is similar to last November’s ISIS attack on a Paris nightclub, where 130 people were killed. In both instances, the attacks were partially justified as a response to the supposed anti-religious activities of fun-loving party-goers.
The similarities between the attacks don’t end there. Both attacks were also justified as a response to Western intervention in the Middle East. The Orlando terrorist reportedly demanded that the U.S. end its air campaign against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq. Similarly, ISIS explained its attack on Paris was a response to France’s ongoing bombings and military involvement, warning of more attacks if the French government continues its “Crusader Campaign.”
Regarding the Orlando tragedy, Raukmini Callimachi, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, said:

These are the identical demands that the Paris bombers made when they called police from inside the Bataclan: End the strikes in Syria.”]
In the video below, George Mason University professor Chris Coyne gives an overview of the Paris terrorist attacks and explains how ISIS justified them.
The parallels between November’s tragedy and this past week’s attack are chilling.

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