CONTENTS Editorial…………..…………………………………………………….……………………p.2 Learning to Fight Terrorism…………………..…………………………………………..…p.3 The Implication of Islam……………………………………………………………...…..…p.4 Liberté, Égalité… and Justice for all…………………………………………………………p.6 The Enemy of my Enemy……………………………………………………………………p.9 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder…………………………………………….……….....…..…p.11
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EDITORIAL
When disaster strikes in a country that isn’t our own, we often don’t give it our full, undivided attention, preferring obliviousness to reflection. When disaster strikes in your own country however, you find yourself yearning for the cushy obliviousness you were immersed in only moments before. On November 13th 2015, Paris fell head first into a bewildering night, tainted with cries of pain, cries for help and cries of solidarity. For many of us, as children trying to find our place in this world, the events of that fateful day marked the beginning of our lives in the real world, where hardships and horrors are countless, where turning the other cheek to such savagery is unthinkable. And so we turn to the only thing we can rely on in these times of doubt: our voices. This special edition of Le Bilingue is not only written by our usual contributing writers, but by many students who have wanted to be heard on the matter. In times like these, every voice has its own importance and today, two months after the attacks, we are making sure that our voices aren’t swallowed up in the wave of uncertainty that has marred our country. By putting pen to paper, we are trying to make sense of the events of November 13th, in the hopes that our personal experiences and analyses of the situation bring peace and understanding to our readers.
This edition is not just about making sure our writers are heard but rather to let everyone know their ideas can easily be shared on the past events and the ones to come, as unfortunately, the future is still uncertain. However, the future lies in our generation’s hands and by speaking up, we could make a difference. After all 2016 has only begun, and our only wish is to make this year a better one. Alice Bello & Anh-Lise Gilbert
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LEARNING TO FIGHT TERRORISM Louis Dunbar-Johnson
In
emigrated, but could also be a healthy antidote for preventing the propagation of radicalism amongst youth. We need to level the playing field: higher learning should not be a domain monopolised by the upper classes. The education system we have now is quite simply not adequate in providing those most susceptible to ISIS recruitment with a shot at making it in the western world. In the same vein, the importance of scholarships and apprenticeship programs must be reiterated. Scholarships, which allow those from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to achieve academic excellence, are exactly what is needed in the fight against Jihad. It is undeniable that if economic opportunities were ubiquitous, the exodus of youth from western countries in the direction of Syria would be lessened.
the aftermath of the November Paris attacks, the international community is looking for a way to combat the radicalization that leads to terrorism. Some suggest aggressive foreign policies and campaigns in favour of military intervention in Syria with renewed vigour. Others encourage new methods of surveillance and are willing to compromise our domestic liberties in the name of safety in the face of terrorism. Perhaps the combat against terrorism doesn't have to be so gung-ho, and perhaps it doesn't have to infringe on our freedom. A long-term solution in the fight against radicalism relies on the bolstering of economic opportunities and promotion of universal education.
First
of all, one must take into account that radicalism has become a homegrown problem. Globalisation provided by social media and the Internet means that the spread of an ideology, whatever it may be, can affect any and every pocket of the globe. This is not a war constrained to our television screens; the battle also lies at home. In the case of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, all three of the perpetrators lived in the periphery of the Parisian area and grew up in poverty. Indeed, the fact that the now infamous Kouachi brothers were first approached by jihadi recruiters whilst incarcerated in France is indicative of the problem at hand. These were orphans who grew up in the projects, lacking an education and a stable income. We live in a society that condemns those without a university degree to a life fraught with financial struggle. Escaping the frustration of western life and going to fight Jihad in Syria and Iraq could potentially be appealing for disillusioned western youths.
Whilst
reforming the education system is certainly a viable option, it is most definitely not the only path we must walk down in order to defeat ISIS. The ideology and way of life promoted by the “caliphate” may still be appealing to some, even if the social playing fields are levelled. The example of the so-called “Bethnal Green Girls” immediately springs to mind. On the 16th of February 2015, three native London girls, Khadiza Sultana, Shamima Begum, and Amira Abase, left for Syria to join the Islamic State. The Bethnal Green Girls, teenagers with ready smiles and London accents, were praised by teachers and cherished by friends. The fact that girls such as these decided to take up arms in the name of jihad reveals a dilemma. Even the educated can fall victim to indoctrination. Fighting Jihad can be appealing for the rebellious, in the same manner as getting a tattoo or a body piercing clearly not to the same extent. Whilst increased parity in education will certainly limit the influx of disillusioned youth, the appeal of jihad would inevitably still draw certain Westerners.
Increasing parity in education by reducing the cost of higher learning could not only provide increased opportunity for the needy and newly
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THE IMPLICATION OF ISLAM Carla McDonald Heffernan
Following
was developed under the rule of the Roman Empire, which of course had already established a proper system of governing. Thus, comparing the scriptures of these two religions without putting them into context can be misleading.
the harrowing terrorist attacks that took place in some of the most vibrant areas of Paris, a growing anti-Islamic sentiment is arising in the West. Understanding Islam and its relation to ISIS is fundamental to both recognizing the absence of any defendable basis behind Islamophobic reactions, and widening our perception on the origins of the motives behind the Islamic State’s actions.
Quite
evidently, all three fundamental monotheistic religions, in their time, did play an extremely important role in shaping politics of distinct regions. Yet, religion was challenged in the West during the Renaissance and subsequently during the Enlightenment period, as well as its influence in politics gradually diminishing. Soon, secularism was rapidly spreading across the globe. But the Middle East rejected Western secularist laws due to the extent to which religion and tradition were ingrained in their social structure and governance. Hence, present-day Islam still prevails in dominating certain aspects of political rule. The Shari’s law, a legal system based on teachings in the Quran, is currently enforced in various Muslim countries. Some refer to it partially, and few, such as Saudi Arabia, implement it as the only rule of law. However, applying such a concrete and precise set of rules, dating from the 7 century, to our modern world, in any case, no matter what type of religious text or scripture it might be, is simply untenable. The conditions under which the law was developed generated this code of conduct, which deals with all areas of a society: political, social, moral, spiritual and economic. But as times change and societies develop, aspects of the Shari such as the discrimination against women underlined by the statement they are equivalent to half a man’s value, or the laws’ excessive violence, highlighted by the amputation of limbs for the crime of theft, simply do not belong in the 21st century.
http://s88563448.onlinehome.us/
Notwithstanding
the impact of political considerations and huge errors made, which consequently allowed ISIS to come to power, it is important to understand the extremist ‘religious’ ideology behind the terrorist organization which is critical to the recruitment success of ISIS. The first crucial point which needs to be explored, in order to understand why extremism in Islam, is used to a greater extent than in other religion today, is the conditions in which Islam emerged and was used in the centuries following its development. Islam played an important role in terms of politics, law, and administration in the Middle East, and still does. It initially developed in the Arabian Peninsula, which at the time was dominated by tribal communities, and therefore lacked a legitimate system order and rule. The religion was therefore taken as source of law, and regulations needed to pertain to this time of violence and conquest. Christianity, however, love
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Nevertheless, as a result of the media’s focus on practices of the outdated aspects of the Shari’s love
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law, which are then incorrectly connected to the 1.5 billion followers of Islam today, there is a rise in anti-Islamic attitude. Fear and ignorance breed intolerance. In fact, fundamentally, relative to other religions, Islam is very tolerant of other belief systems, as stated in the Quran: “there is no compulsion where religion is concerned” (Ayah 2/256) and “our God and your God is one and the same” (Ayah 29/46). Yet, in the same manner as any fundamentalist organizations, ISIS amplifies the more aggressive passages existing in the Qur’an, consequently distorting the main concepts and beliefs of Islam. However, many seem to ignore the existence of this bygone violence in almost every other religious scripture, portraying it as only pertaining to the Quran.
apostates, or in other words, the enemy. Deaths from terrorist attacks alone carried out by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and by Boko Haram in Nigeria last year, reached 12 717 people. This sharp increase in terrorist activity is fuelling the migration out of areas controlled by ISIS, with currently 370 000 Iraqi refugees and 4.29 million Syrian refugees.
However, declaring that ISIS is simply an unIslamic group, as many well-intentioned Muslim groups have done, would simply be counterproductive. Indeed, the Islamic State serves as an example of a cult or sect religion interpreting a script written 1500 years ago, literally, and out of context. Quite evidently, its ideology is utterly unIslamic. It uses this belief system which is utterly against unnecessary violence, as stated in Ayah 5/32: “whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all humankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he saved the life of all humankind.", to justify barbaric terrorism. But its theology must be understood in order to prevent Islamophobia from taking hold. Accepting that this theology is based on certain Islamic interpretations of the Quran, in no way suggests that it could be representative of Islam, as the religion it is today.
Furthermore, fundamentalism is far from being an exclusively Islamic concept endorsed by the Qur’an, as this practice violates its most sacred precepts. Indeed, the fundamentalist movement erupted in all religions during the 20 century, as a way to rebel against modernity and secularism, which is thought to be the beginning of the eradication of religion. The first terrorist group that comes to mind when considering terrorism in the 20th century, is the Ku Klux Klan. Targeting social and ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, Catholics, and Jews, this Protestant led organization promoting white supremacy committed a multitude of atrocities such as murder, lynching, rape, and intimidation across the United States during the end of the 19th and throughout the 20th century. Certain forms of the group still exist today. Many more nonIslamic terrorist organizations continue to spread terror today, especially throughout African countries, yet are not commonly acknowledged in Western media. This reinforced the misconception of Islam as the only religion breeding terrorism. One example that embodies this perfectly is The Lord’s Resistance Army, a Christian terrorist group located in central eastern Africa, which has carried out thousands of murders and kidnappings throughout the past decade and continues to diffuse fear across Uganda. th
As summed in the words of Obama:
“We are not at war with Islam, we are at war with those who have perverted Islam.”
Another very important point to reiterate is the fact that the ordinary Muslim person is the target of ISIS. Those not practicing this extreme form of Islam are seen by ISIS as apostates love
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LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ… AND JUSTICE FOR ALL Lessons to be learnt from the USA’s response to terrorism. Daniil Ukhorskiy
The challenge France is currently facing is not new and neither are the proposed solutions. The United States of America, a country that considers itself the guardian of modern democracy, quickly demonstrated its willingness to sacrifice its commitment to fundamental freedoms for the sake of vaguely defined “security” in the wake of September 11 attacks.
There are two key questions anyone should be asking when looking at the US’s response to the horrendous terrorist attacks—and while deciding whether France should take a similar path. First, have the repressive laws and abusive practices actually made America safer? More importantly, could such breaches ever be justified; in other words, how much freedom should we be prepared to sacrifice for the sake of security?
The response to the attacks from the US was
The
answer to the first question might seem controversial, but in reality is simple. On one hand, conservative politicians in the US are keen to point out that there have been no terrorist attacks of comparable scale since September 11 . Yet, there is no hard evidence that this can be attributed to the successes of torture and mass surveillance.
as radical as it was brutal; the decade following the World Trade Center bombings saw the institution of several controversial policies by the Bush Administration. The “Global War on Terror” led to several wars in the Middle East, the latest being NATO led airstrikes against the Islamic State. Throughout these conflicts, the US detained thousands of people at home and abroad, keeping them in various centers and using torture as a means of attempting to extract information from prisoners.
th
On
the contrary, the Global War on Terror has been going on for more than a decade and civil liberties were the first to sustain heavy casualties. Before revelations of abuses at home, the Abu Ghraib torture scandal erupted in 2003 following a report published by Amnesty International. Despite the efforts of the Bush administration to portray incidents in Iraqi detention centers as isolated events, humanitarian organizations were adamant that the US army had committed widespread abuses. The limited backlash from the international community allowed similar practices to live on, even on American soil. It allowed the war to continue, eventually killing more civilians than 9/11.
A
senate report on “enhanced interrogation techniques” (that included sexual assault, sleep deprivation, and waterboarding) was released in 2014. The “techniques” were being used on inmates at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility – captured fighters or suspects of terrorism.
The infamous mass security program known as the “Patriot Act” was an element in the USA’s reaction to 9/11. Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed to the world the details of surveillance programs that monitored millions of innocent people, both citizens and noncitizens of the US. The Patriot Act gave the government near-absolute power in requisitioning records from telecommunications companies or setting up wiretaps.
The
revelatory senate report found that the torture techniques used by the Central Intelligence Agency were ineffective in acquiring intelligence that helped their efforts love
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against terrorism. The program didn’t yield a shred of evidence that help the US war effort. Traditional espionage techniques and trained CIA analysts were infinitely more effective. Moreover, the Agency’s justifications for the program and its details were all hidden from policymakers and the government. The report states “the CIA impeded effective White House oversight and decision-making.”
routinely by telecom companies. Privacy advocates agreed that they could no longer support the final version of the bill; Representative Lofgren told the Washington Post “the result is a bill that will not end bulk collection”. Currently human rights advocates are in agreement: although the Freedom Act is as step in the right direction, legal loopholes exist that will make it possible for the government to continue abusing its power.
Apart
from revelations of the inefficiency of torturing detainees and suspects, the report revealed at least 26 of the estimated 119 detainees were found to be “wrongfully held”, pointing to a violation that undermines the intelligence services and courts of the USA. The grave violations of the human rights of the prisoners went against the constitutional clauses that assure all criminals a fair trial, an integral element of any democratic nation.
Throughout the decade of the War on Terror, France has spoken out against excessive security measures. Back in 2003, French President Jacques Chirac spoke out against American attempts to initiate a UN intervention in Iraq – it was vetoed by France in the Security Council. Since then, France has refused to implement similar measures to the US. Earlier this year, following the attacks that targeted the offices of a weekly satirical magazine – Charlie Hebdo, the French government did not institute harsher security programs at the expense of freedoms.
The
Federal Bureau of Investigation was unable to point out a single terrorist plot foiled due to mass surveillance. A Justice Department report published in 2007 claimed that the program committed “widespread and serious abuse”. Most of the so-called “Titles” of the act are grave violations of the freedoms outlined in the US Constitution. The information, phone records and internet history, held by the US government until the amendment of the Patriot Act violated the privacy of millions living in the United States.
However,
the commitment to live by the famous tripartite motto may not survive the latest brutal attacks. The Socialist Party government is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Conservative politicians around the world are calling the Paris attacks a “wake up call”, and demanding more surveillance – something like the US or UK. The country is expecting a lean towards more conservative parties in the next election, with the radical right Front National already gaining increasing support. Beyond the expected transition after such an event, liberal parties are worried this will allow the right wing to pass surveillance laws or other increased security measures. On the other hand, the French far left is condemning president Hollande’s decision to extend the national state of emergency, arguing that repressing civil liberties for even a limited time is a step toward the repressive ideology of the Islamic State.
The second question was answered earlier this year by the Obama administration. The grave mistakes and violations committed by US over the course of the previous decade are now a stain on the reputation of the USA as a protector of democracy. America strives to be seen as a symbol of democracy on the world’s stage, and when it is revealed that it has violated the rights of so many people, things need to change. To a certain extent, the more liberal, democratic government has admitted that violations on such a scale can never be repeated. The replacement of the Patriot Act with the Freedom Act is certainly a reaction to pressure from liberals and human rights organizations.
The
French government has already taken steps that have limited the liberties of its citizens. The declared state of emergency has been extended to three months – already drawing criticism from human rights advocates. It allows law enforcement agents to conduct warrantless searches and place suspects under house arrest. For many of those in France this is
For liberals and human rights groups the battle
is nonetheless not over. Under the Freedom Act, the government can obtain a warrant to examine almost any information collected routinely
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already a step too far.
Benjamin Franklin famously said: “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” Over the last decade, analysts across the world have demonstrated with facts and figures that he was right. But every time a country and its people are faced with unexpected, brutal, inhumane acts of terrorism, they need to make a difficult choice, and France is facing it now. The coming months will show whether the country managed to strike the adequate balance between the security and liberty, and will determine France’s domestic and foreign policy for decades to come.
©The Associate Press
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THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY Thomas Cessou
September 11, 2001 was the beginning of a new era, one in which the core issue of international politics would revolve around defeating a common enemy: terrorism. Yet today, almost 15 years after the dreadful attacks that killed close to 3,000 people, we still face an issue more threatening than Al-Qaeda has ever been: a coordinated, organized, centralized state that occupies the greater part of two territories: Iraq and Syria, now known as ISIS. We might ask ourselves: why has the biggest and most powerful part of the world, the West, been unable to prevent the development of this terrorist state? The main reason, however hard it may be to admit, is that The West has been responsible for its expansion and development.
Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath party was overthrown and dismantled, and many of the well-trained soldiers and officers in the Iraqi army wound up in American prison cells, including Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi (the current leader of the terrorist group). In these prison cells and throughout the occupied country and the military, a wave of anger and desire for revenge began to surface throughout the population and in some old Al-Qaeda members; the group gradually began to gain some power.
ISIS
is like no other terrorist group: the exemplary organization of the Iraqi soldiers, previously fighting under Saddam Hussein, and their capacity to govern is at the heart of their power: a state cannot http://tbogg.blogspot.fr/ function without strict borders, a local population, and governmental institutions, all of which ISIS has now acquired. Yet what truly constitutes their power is the deadly combination that has been formed between both structure and wealth, which the western countries have continuously failed to defeat. This terrorist group manages to make over 2 billion dollars per year through oil, taxes, the trafficking of historical objects, extortion, donations from those who fight alongside them, and the production and industry, including drug trafficking, in the zones they’ve captured. The “western coalition” that we form therefore fails to acknowledge that by not destroying their oil plants, in part due to the indirect economic advantages they provide for westerners, we are contributing to the expansion of ISIS.
In
the wake of the 9/11 attacks, President George Bush made what many saw as a mistake: he placed the economy’s importance before that of long-term political strategy. By claiming that Saddam Hussein owned weapons of mass destruction, Bush used the terrorist attacks as an excuse to send troops to Iraq in 2003 in order to topple the government. The issue behind this decision was that Iraq was highly strategic to the US oil industry, and given the poisonous relations between both states, the Americans potentially may not have been able to obtain what they wanted without military action. This line of reasoning was very influential in forming ISIS as we know it today:
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The power of this organization is also mainly based on the location of the Middle East and of Syria. The civil war that has raged in this region since 2011, a time known as the Arab Spring, has provided Bashar Al-Assad with a base to fight against the rebels that oppose his government. His brutal response to this opposition - to the extent that he used chemical weapons against his own population - weakened the country and rendered it defenseless, thus giving ISIS the opportunity to gain control over the majority of Syria.
The expansion of this terrorist group has not gone unnoticed by the West. Several presumed international coalitions, such as Barack Obama’s in 2014, where troops, both combat and non-combat were sent to Iraq in order to observe its movements and functioning. And this past year, France has been the main country bombing Syrian recruitment and training camps and oil plantations or targeting attacks on powerful figures. This is one of the main explanations why France has been such an attractive target for these terrorists: not only is it a country that represents everything that they want to destroy but these series of strikes against ISIS has made them seek revenge.
One
controversial matter is Russia’s involvement in the West’s fight against ISIS. At the end of September, the Russian air strikes targeted the anti-Bashar movement rather than the terrorists. Even though the Russians’ stance against the terrorists has toughened since the October bombing of a Russian passenger plane that killed 224 people, the complexity of international involvement in Syria shows various blocks of nations with common goals, yet with very different ways of achieving them.
The
following question remains: what is the best way to eradicate ISIS? Air strikes have been shown to lack precision and to increase anger against the West, thus helping ISIS’ influence to grow. Military ground forces have proven to be a huge failure in Iraq, and also contribute to their expansion for similar reasons. The heart of ISIS’ power is above all their capacity to govern, to produce wealth, and to recruit. The western coalition needs to focus on such aspects by destroying ISIS’ crops and oil supplies and by continuing to hunt terrorists online. Yet the fact that ISIS satisfies the criteria for being a state is, ironically, what could lead to its downfall: it has indirectly set its own expiration date. Unlike most terrorist groups, ISIS is now visible and exposed.
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POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Eagles of Death Metal, the Californian rock band that was performing at the Bataclan Concert Hall in Paris on the night of Nov. 13th when the attacks broke out, reported experience in front of the Vice cameras. Itzel Aguilera
©AFP
When
the guns fired, the band understanding what was happening got down to the stage ground. Peering through his drum hardware, Julian Dorio managed to catch a view leaving him scarred: “I saw two guys out front, and that might be just the most awful thing ever, them just relentlessly shooting into the audience.” It was in the chaotic commotion that the band members managed to escape the stage as the assailants reloaded. Matt McJunkins, the bassist, seized this opportunity to scramble to a backstage room with some fans, barricading the door with chairs, “someone had left a bottle of champagne in the room, for a post-show, we had that to use as a weapon, cause that’s it, that’s all we had.” The singer, Jesse Hughes went looking for his girlfriend amongst the crowd came to a close encounter with one of the assassins, “I opened the door in the hallway and that’s when I saw the shooter, he turned on me, brought his gun down and the barrel hit the doorframe.” He recounts
then recounted how people went hiding in his dressing room but the killers still managed to break in and killed all the fans except for one who hid under Jesse’s leather jacket.
Not
all band members made it out. Nick Alexander, the merchandise manager was caught up in the audience and shot, not wanting to attract attention, he bled out explain the founders of the band Josh Hommes and Mr. Hughes through tears. “A great reason why so many where killed, is because so many people wouldn’t leave their friends, so many people put themselves in front of people.”
The one thing that fascinated the band was the “shared heroism”. The people coming out of their homes to help, the fans even when injured attempting to give a hand. EODM fans have launched a campaign to express solidarity with those who were caught up in the attacks and love
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those who didn’t make it. The fans hope to take their new cover of Duran Duran’s save a prayer to the top of UK singles. It has already reached Nb1 in rock charts of both iTunes and Amazon. In response, the band called out for other musicians to cover their song “I Love You All The Time” promising to donate the publishing and challenged music delivery apps such as Spotify to join them and donate this money to the victims of the Paris attack especially those recovering in hospital in attempt to rebuild what has been destroyed.
“We represent the people who did not make it, whose stories may never get told.”
When
asked what’s to become of their tour, the band expresses their enthusiasm to carry on fighting and to not give up in the face of this attack. Matt verbalizes this feeling: “playing every night and seeing those smiling faces in the crowd, that’s what keeps us going. That’s why we play, and there’s no way we’re not going to keep doing that again.” Furthermore, the band vowed to come back and play in Paris, wishing to be the first band to play at the Bataclan when it opens once again.
“Our friends went there to see rock’n’roll and died. I want to go back there and live.”
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©AFP
IN THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF LE BILINGUE EDITORS IN CHIEF Alice BELLO (1ère S) Anh-Lise GILBERT (1ère ES) Daniil UKHORSKIY (1ère IB)
CONTRIBUTORS Itzel AGUILERA (1ère IB) Thomas CESSOU (1ère ES) Louis DUNBAR-JOHNSON (1ère IB) Carla MCDONALD HEFFERNAN (1ère IB) Daniil UKHORSKIY (1ère IB)
LAYOUT & COVER Anh-Lise GILBERT (1ère ES)
WISHING YOU THE BEST FOR 2016!
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