What does speak out last train from Paris? The ´ISIS boys´ are for me bloody cowards and we need a better weapons

The night. Friday, November 13th, a few minutes before 22:39. London.

I was impatiently waiting at the St. Pancras International for the last train of the day from Paris which had arrive at 22:39. I was looking around myself and was surprised about non expected amount of members of police and security staff. ...and some of them was armed... This is indeed not common to see armed police in the Great Britain. Sometimes I could see armed security or police staff at the airport but not at the train station. But it was international train – Eurostar. So maybe it was this reason. Or another else..?

I could see a light tense in faces of some waiting people. But I did not notice anything special. I had any idea that something wrong should happen. I hadn´t been watching or reading news that evening. I was in a little rush for preparing weekend´s programs for my friends from France. I have had no idea that whole world wide broadcasting was interrupted by breaking news and internet was flooded by actual information telling about several terrorist attacks in Paris ca. three hours ago.

When I finally could see my friends they told me that sort time after train setting off the Paris was broadcast in the train this bad news. I remember this moment forever and keep very deep in my mind. Cos it was a kind of an edge moments in history – everything happening before should be just big problems – refugees crisis, January´s terrorist attack in Charlie, the located conflict in Israel/Palestine, etc. Lot of conflicts or problems. But suddenly everything took sense for me the sense in wider contexts without hope ´that it is just something like a contemporary stand´ and should be solved separately and more or less quickly without larger influence.

No, actually unfortunate it is not true. I was afraid about something similar longer time before about that. But I did think that I am wrong. Three years ago I spent lot of time in Historical Archives (Museums, etc.) watching, reading, searching for materials about the Holocaust / Shoa. And something was very interesting and surprised me. Refugees. Long time before 2WW (Second World War) started there were a lot of documents speaking out about many refugees from Eastern Europe and then from Germany as well. There were Jewish Community archives and everything was in German language (It was in the former Czechoslowakia – Sudetenland´s town holding place just a few km from Germany) Lot of very sad letters, stories. And lot of rejected answers to them – not be able to help them (or just a little bit). I have been keeping some of them in my memory until today.
I was sitting in the research room and discovering history and became very scary cos suddenly I started to realize that it is not just maybe the matter of our – European history – but everything what was described there should be absolutely likely to become in present and in the future. But nothing happened. I finished (or actually just for long time interrupt) my research and started to try to forget these negative thinking.

When slowly started the ´refugees crisis´ I have remembered these information. But actually what  should you do against that – stop it... More or less nothing. And this is the worst! If you cannot do anything. Just stand around and make nothing... Like now in France. In Paris. Last Friday. What can you do it if suddenly without warning some armed people – terrorist – start shooting to the not – armed people. There is nothing to admire... What is amazing and brave to start fighting with someone who is not armed... This is the most looser´s style of fight that I have ever could imagine! I am convinced that the level of you can be recognised acording to your enemy. If you choose your enemy thoroughly and so that he/she is on the same level (including the arming, etc.) you should be maybe considered for – a not very good person – but for a person who has some style and level. And then it is maybe possible to respect this person. So if the terrorist would be fighting with soldiers, policemen, then it could make a sense and should be supposed for a balanced fight. But if someone is armed and his victim not (I use the word ´victim´ - cos this is not enemy – without weapon – then this is not a fight, this is a murder), then the attacker is just a poor bloody coward. Nothing else!

During my waiting for my Friends from France at the station I took a photo of the table with order arrivals train cos it looked a little bit strange – just one train at the table. Later I did catch everything and came to me more information – France had closed its borders, France is in the war... I have realised that this train was probably one of the latest trains that left Paris before starting war. I couldnot help myself and make comparison: In my country does exist a book called ´The last train from Frivaldov´. The book is about a situation before the München agreement in 1938 – that should have stopped war in sight and for this reason France and Great Britain sacrificed the Sudetenland (the part of my country – former Czechoslowakia) - ´given´ to Hitler (Germany) – with hope he should be satisfied and would stop the possibly war (the 2WW). I think it is not worth continuing... Everybody know what happened then... The Nazi were not satisfied of course – it was just a trick from them. And it did not stop the 2WW and Holocaust.

Today the situation is different – obviously – but I can see something similar there. And the different attitude. And that´s good! The answer from France was YES – we will be fighting with you. Yes, we are suddenly in the war!

Oh war... I am against a war. I hate wars! Cos in every cases the victims are usually the normal people – not the politics – not the terrorists... they are almost saved... But the normal people are suffering. ISIS made unhappy and homeless lots of people from Syria. These people lost their home, their hope. The Europe Union states have been gradually losing their cohesion – every country is very afraid about its inhabitants, people getting a fear. We have been so proud of our Schengen space! On our European ghost... And now? Everything become to be slowly broken – the countries are slowly more or less closing their borders, in the London´s tube are more and more policemen and guards, people in my country are today celebrating the Velvet revolution (end of Cold war) – and instead of celebration there are lot of demonstration against refugees. I have received lot of not very positive news from Prague today. The people are very confused and have no idea of what does happen.

This is not the same war as a 2WW or Cold war. This is a different one. The France joined to the states which are fighting against ISIS. It is its answer to Friday´s unprecedented attack. It is good idea? Honestly – I don´t think that classic´ fight – army vs fighters of ISIS could be successful. Just because the army is playing by the rules – never make a ´terrorist attacks against unarmed people (if does happen, it is non planed mistake)´. So it seems to be a nonsense lead this war – by the ´old rules´. Cos the terrorist from ISIS are playing by the ´new rules´ and for this reason are more dangerous how have no army no country have been before. So is it good That the France is becoming to the war? It seems not to be a good idea – cos there should be expected the next attacks inside this country managed by terrorist against non armed people – on the streets. 

Not a good idea. But something inside me feel it very important – the story about the ´last train from... Paris´ (in this case). As I mentioned – in my country – my hometown in Czechoslowakia on the borders with Germany was at October 12 in 1938 annexed by Germany through the München agreement. My great-grandmother Josefina wrote in her diary: “Our State Defence Guard – my husband was a commander of one of them – did not have any chance to manage to defend our borders. I was at home alone with my two small children all the time. About a noon we got an announcement that the last train is leaving town at eight a clock in the evening... The moving of the Czech offices was started in the afternoon. We started packing. We took with us only the stuff which was possible to pack into bags and backpacks. The most necessary stuff. We had to leave everything else. The passenger train dispatched went really around 8 pm.. It was completely full of Czechs and a few German anti fascists.” Immediately after the departure of this train the railway between the new borders between the ´Third Empire´ and the rest of Czechoslowakia was destroyed and ten months later started the 2WW.
But why I write it now. This part of story is important for me to understand why France started the war against ISIS despite expecting the next attacks. I think this is the most important matter for every nation – have an option to defend its country. Maybe without hope to be successful, but just try it – do something. Not just looking around oneself and not being allowed to defend as had to do my ancestors. For my family and for my country this was – I think – the most destroying matter in 2WW and then in Cold war (in 1968 – Prager Spring - when we have been occupied by Soviet union countries army) we could not defend our country. The people were prepared to defense – or to die during by defending their country – but it was strictly prohibited by the government (cos the international agreements... - München deal 1938 and then Moscow in 1968) – and this circumstances broke the ghost/soul of my nation for a long time (and maybe forever). And that´s graduated today at the 26-years celebration of the Velvet Revolution.
So for this reason – despite I think that the normal army attack against ISIS should not be successful, an maybe should make everything even worse, I think it is necessary for French people to do it! For keeping their ´national ghost and soul´! But use more clever strategy and better weapons then ISIS. If I write weapons, I dont mean normal weapons. But some other weapons (maybe information, more use of secret services to destroy ISIS from inside and minimalize the number of civil victims). I just still believe that ´the darkness can be stopped only by more light, and not by more darkness´.