Debate on the killing of students in Kenya by Islamic terror group Al-Shabaab during the EP plenary session in Strasbourg. Statements by Neven MIMICA, Member of the EC in charge of International cooperation and Development, Teresa JIMÉNEZ-BECERRIL BARRIO (EPP, ES), Elena VALENCIANO (S&D, ES), Angel DZHAMBAZKI (ECR, BG), Lidia SENRA RODRÍGUEZ (GUE/NGL, ES), Fabio Massimo CASTALDO (EFDD, IT), György HÖLVÉNYI (EPP, HU) and Kashetu KYENGE (S&D, IT)

Strasbourg

plenary session

DZHAMBAZKI, Angel (ECR, BG)

VALENCIANO, Elena (S&D, ES)

CASTALDO, Fabio Massimo (Renew, IT)

SENRA RODRÍGUEZ, Maria Lidia (GUE/NGL, ES)

JIMÉNEZ-BECERRIL BARRIO, Teresa (EPP, ES)

KYENGE, Cécile Kashetu (S&D, IT)

MIMICA, Neven (HR, EC)

advance of Islamic State (T)

HÖLVÉNYI, György (EPP, HU)

Killing of students in Kenya by Islamic terror group Al-Shabaab: extracts from the debate

External shot of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg.

SOUNDBITE (English), Neven MIMICA, Member of the EC in charge of International cooperation and Development, "We can never allow these fundamental values and principles to be challenged or compromised. This applies to people of all faith or none and this definitely applies to christians."

SOUNDBITE (English), Neven MIMICA, Member of the EC in charge of International cooperation and Development, "We must not forget, either, that the first victims of terrorism and terrorist acts are muslims and Arab countries. We need no avoid falling into the logic and perception of a clash and religious confrontation."

SOUNDBITE (English), Neven MIMICA, Member of the EC in charge of International cooperation and Development, "Today, on its southern flank, the European Union is facing an ark of conflicts and crises, with spillover effects throughout the region and cooperation with our partners in the Arab world is essential if we are to address the regional challenges and threats."

SOUNDBITE (English), Neven MIMICA, Member of the EC in charge of International cooperation and Development, "This gruesome attack is the latest and most deadly in the string of terrorist attacks perpetrated by Al Shabaab in Kenya over the last eighteen months. Acts of terrorism have unfortunately become a recurrent feature in Kenya and terrorism is a threat that is gradually increasing in the Greater Horn of Africa region."

SOUNDBITE (English), Neven MIMICA, Member of the EC in charge of International cooperation and Development, "Radicalization and violent extremism is a global problem and cannot be dealt with in isolation."

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Teresa JIM&#201;NEZ-BECERRIL BARRIO (EPP, ES), "That's why the EPP has prepared a resolution, in which we managed to include the name and the persecution of christians, toghether with this atrocious acts. That's where the problem begunm because the remaining groups wouldn't accept it and they even refused to negotiate with me, they wanted me to scrap every mention to the christians."

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Elena VALENCIANO (S&amp;D, ES), "We condemn any violence or discrimination based on religion. On any religion."

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Elena VALENCIANO (S&amp;D, ES), "It is true that one student, a survivor, said 'this won't resound worldwide because they haven't killed any whites'. And it's true that Western media dealt with it in a very obliquely."

SOUNDBITE (Bulgarian), Angel DZHAMBAZKI (ECR, BG), "That's why we need, not resolutions, we need a military operation in Kenya."

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Enrique CALVET (ALDE, ES), "We must involve the EU, even on the ground there, with trainers, with our specialists, which - with the help of the African troops there - can control and help those troops but also avoid, in the short term, this kind of massacres and this kind of persecution of democratic, Western values that we defend. "

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Lidia SENRA RODR&#205;GUEZ (GUE/NGL, ES), "The solution is not to launch more military operations by the EU or the United States in the region. The Western powers and multinationals must stop looting Africa."

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Fabio Massimo CASTALDO (EFDD, IT), "We haven't seen the world leaders march toghether down the streets of Paris or any other capital for this massacre. Obviously there are 'Charlies' that are charlier than others."

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), Gy&#246;rgy H&#214;LV&#201;NYI (EPP, HU), "It&iexcl;s not an ideological question, it's a matter of Human Rights, nor is it a religious issue, ti really is a matter of respect of Human Rights."

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Kashetu KYENGE (S&amp;D, IT), "Today we honour those victims, strongly condemning fundamentalist extremism, that is expanding ever faster through the African continent. Terror bears the name of Al Shabaab in the Horn of Africa. It means 'the youth', a youth that denies the future by mining the education of future generations."