The European Union (EU) faces a “huge risk” of terrorist attacks over the Christmas holiday period in a society increasingly polarized by the Israel–Hamas war, the bloc’s home affairs commissioner has said.

The warning, issued by EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, comes days after a German-Filipino tourist was fatally stabbed in Paris. The suspect, a 26-year-old Frenchman who reportedly comes from a non-religious Iranian family, is said to have made reference to the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) group during the attack. Two other people also sustained injuries after being struck with a hammer.

“With the war between Israel and Hamas, and the polarization it causes in our society, with the upcoming holiday season, there is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union,” Johansson told reporters on Tuesday ahead of meeting with EU interior ministers in Brussels.

“We saw it recently in Paris; unfortunately, we have seen it earlier as well,” she added.

Johansson, who also said that the EU has earmarked an additional €30 million ($32.3 million) in security spending, did not elaborate on if her comments were based on any specific intelligence warnings.

The NZ branch of the Hamas fan club — the Antifa/Green Party — has so far confined its Aktionen to vandalising National and Act MPs’ offices and should know better than to extend that to synagogues and their attendees, as well as Jewish cemeteries. Hopefully, they will also persuade their Muslim radical friends to refrain from that.