Richard Moore: Isis must be stopped

In the Catacombs beneath the French capital are the bones of millions of people. The actions of Isis are leaving an ever-growing trail of bones from the Middle East to Europe.

In June of this year we spent three-and-a-half weeks in France, with nine nights in the City of Light - Paris.

It was an amazing visit to a city with few equals.

There were the obvious sights - the Eiffel Tower (where we got engaged), the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur cathedrals, the Palace of Versailles - and the not so obvious the Catacombs, the Museum of the Army and Montmartre Cemetery.

One of our highlights was spending two days in the Louvre, seeing exquisite art and fighting off hordes of tour groups from a place where they haven't done much travelling in the past. It is great they are getting out and about the globe, but someone really does need to teach them about the etiquette of not pushing in, or getting in people's way when those folk are taking photos.

If you read my travel yarn on visiting the Mona Lisa you'll understand where I am coming from as too many of my perfectly framed shots have the smiling heads of nongs who frame-jumped just as I was pressing the shutter button.

Possibly the greatest treat in Paris, however, was the food. We didn't go overboard with swanky restaurants, we picked neighbourhood eateries and bistros that served up plates of deliciousness for very reasonable prices.

For the first four nights I couldn't go past steak tartar - essentially raw meat - but then moved on to small, black and sweet moules (mussels), grenouille (frog's legs) before indulging in steak tartar for the final few nights.

The locals were gracious and friendly hosts. Delightful people in a wonderful city.

So at this time my heart goes out to them and my support - such as it is - goes to Parisians struggling to deal with the latest terrorist assault upon them.

More than 120 were killed last Saturday (our time) when Isis cowards ran amok among crowds of defenceless people at six locations in Paris gunning down or blowing up hundreds of folk enjoying themselves at a rock concert, a football international or just eating out.

More than 350 were injured.

We were in the Bay of Islands at the time and we heard about the attacks late on Saturday afternoon.

My younger son sent a text that said: "I'm glad you went to France when you did."

These Isis killers are psychos.

The trail of depravity they have left behind them in the Middle East speaks for itself.

Beheadings, burning people alive, shootings, stabbings, rape ... you name it and these animals have committed it.

They cannot possibly believe in a God as no-one with an ounce of spirituality could commit those heinous acts.

There will be some out there who suggest the attacks in Paris is retaliation for French air attacks on Isis bases.

To my mind it is a chicken and egg thing. Who started what?

I reckon Isis' unforgivable actions in conquered territories brought on the backlash against them and, in my view, the West has not gone in hard enough.

Their bases, villages and training camps should be obliterated.

Whatever the cost, they are a cancer that needs to be destroyed.

I have a feeling the French will now take the gloves off and unleash some real military might against Isis.

If other governments had any sense they would do likewise, because to shirk the issue only allows these creatures to target them in turn.

I lay the blame for the Paris attacks upon those bleeding hearts who allowed 800,000 people from Syria and Libya into Europe without proper security screening.

Anyone with half a brain should have known there would be jihadists planted among the human tidal wave and they needed to be weeded out before they could freely spread through Europe.

Hell's teeth, I get wanded for explosives at just about every airport I go through.

Terror groups must be laughing their backsides off at the stupidity and weakness of the West.

richard@richardmoore.com

Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer.