French police stand guard near the church which was attacked in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Seine-Maritime department, France, July 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Xuefei)
With Europe still reeling from a wave of recent terror attacks in Germany and France, tough questions confront the continent as to how it will affect public opinion, politics and refugee policy.
In one week alone, Germany was rocked by an axe attack on a train in Wuerzburg, a mass shooting in Munich killing nine, a machete attack in which a pregnant woman was killed in Reutlingen, and a suicide bombing outside a music festival in Ansbach.
In France, two teenagers decapitated an 86-year-old priest during mass in a church in Normandy, while a man ploughed a heavy truck into a crowd celebrating French national day in Nice, killing 84.
A majority of these attacks were carried out by refugees and/or those pledging allegiance to Daesh or the Islamic State.
On one hand, this has stoked fears of public security and further terror attacks. On the other, it has polarized opinion on whether opening the door to refugees was the right decision.
'WE CAN MANAGE IT?'
The spate of deadly violence on European soil has, in part at least, led to EU citizens citing immigration and terrorism as the biggest challenges that the EU faces.
According to a European Commission survey, terrorism was ranked the number one concern in eight EU countries and was among the top two in every EU country except Greece.
"The general public is clearly uneasy about the refugee crisis, but seem to be torn between the moral aim of helping and growing fears about the social consequences," Iain Begg, research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Xinhua.
Issues surrounding refugees, terrorism and free movement are often conflated in the eyes of the general public, which can distort the true picture, he added.
"The links between refugees and the attacks in Germany and France, -- although in the latter, it is more French citizens of Maghreb origin -- are seen through the lens of Islamist terrorism," Begg stated.
However, it is important to note the number of incidents is, in reality, quite low in relations to the sheer number of refugees, he added.
Indeed, German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week was unequivocal in maintaining her refugee policy, saying a rejection of the humanitarian stance could have led to even worse consequences.
Her mantra when it comes to dealing with the million plus migrants Germany has received remains: "Wir schaffen das (We can manage it)."
But the masses in Europe may not agree with Merkel.
STRENGTHENING OF THE RIGHT
Gauri Khandekar, Europe director at the Global Relations Forum, foresees a change in political leadership in both France and Germany.
"Globally there is a rise of nationalism and Europe is no exception," she said.
