The EU urges to continue fighting against “terrorism” and “religious fundamentalism”
France increases security after attacks in Germany and the US
MADRID, 7 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, condemned this Tuesday the “terrorist barbarism” and defended freedom of expression during the commemoration events taking place in Paris for the tenth anniversary of the Islamist attack against the satirical magazine ‘Charlie Hebdo’ , an attack that shocked an entire country and left eight dead.
The French president, together with the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, led an event held in front of the magazine’s former headquarters, where on January 7, 2015, two men armed with assault rifles burst in and shot indiscriminately at those present. The events began around 11:30, the time at which the shots began to be heard.
There, they have laid a wreath in memory of the victims and those injured during that tragic day and that of January 9, when four other people died during a hostage situation in a Jewish supermarket in the east of Paris at the hands of a third party. armed man
Prime Minister François Bayrou, former President François Hollande and former Prime Minister Manuel Valls have also traveled to the place of the ceremony.
Hollande, who was the head of state of France when the attack took place, stressed that “being president means acting.” “Here it was about neutralizing terrorists and guaranteeing the safety of the French, but also about sharing emotions, compassion, solidarity.”
“There are scenes that I will never forget but we had to act and we did it responsibly. We were aware that we were not finished, that there would be other tragedies, and there were,” he lamented, according to information collected by France24.
For his part, Valls has emphasized that the country “is still at war” against those who did not defend the magazine then. “Those people are still there,” he said in statements to MFMTV. “The United States has been hit. Recently Germany has also been hit. The threat exists in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain…” he warned before stating that “Islamism develops in the long term and hits democracies.”
THE EU CLAIMS “PLURALISM”
From the European Union, the main authorities have harshly criticized these attacks and have shown their support for “democracy” and “pluralism.” The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has urged to fight “tirelessly” against terrorism and “religious fundamentalism”, and recalled that what happened was a “murder” against those who represented “the values of France and Europe”. “Let us honor his memory,” he said in a message spread through social networks.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has called for “resilience” and “solidarity” in the face of “hatred”. “10 years ago, an attack on freedom of expression united the world in a wave of solidarity and resilience. It is the spirit that must guide us against hate and terrorism. For freedom. We pay tribute to the murdered journalists and cartoonists,” has riveted
At the same time, Richard Lenoir Avenue has become the scene of a second tribute attended by hundreds of people, who advocate remembering the ‘Charlie spirit’ in reference to the massive demonstrations that brought together four million people ten years ago. on the streets of the capital.
The French Government has recently increased anti-terrorist security measures, especially at rallies, following the latest attacks in Magdeburg and New Orleans.
The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, has specified that this is a “prevention measure” given the need to “maintain a high level of prudence.” In this sense, he stressed that in 2024 nine attacks were thwarted throughout France, the highest number since 2017.