Brussels, 07/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - European leaders have been quick to condemn the terrorist attack in the late morning of Wednesday 7 January on the offices of the newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, an attack unprecedented in its scale which left twelve people dead, four or five seriously wounded and seven slightly injured, according to provisional figures.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was “deeply shocked by the brutal and inhuman attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo. It is an intolerable act, an act of barbarity that concerns us all as human beings and as Europeans”. He said his thoughts were with the victims and their families and “personally and on behalf of the European Commission” expressed “solidarity with France”. European Council President Donald Tusk said in a press release that he was “shocked by the appalling attack that took place this morning in Paris against Charlie Hebdo. The European Union stands side by side with France after this terrible act. It is a brutal attack against our fundamental values, against freedom of expression which is a pillar of our democracy. The fight against terrorism in all its forms must continue unabated”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron and President of the Italian Council Matteo Renzi also strongly condemned the terrorist attack. “This horrible act is not only an attack on the lives of French women and men”, it is also “an unjustifiable attack on the freedom of the press and freedom of opinion on which our free, democratic culture is founded”, the German chancellor said. “Fear and horror after the massacre that has taken place in Paris. Full support to François Hollande at this terrible time. Violence will never defeat freedom”, commented Renzi. The British prime minister said that his country “stands with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press”. At the scene of the attack, the French president stated that “no act of barbarity will ever end the freedom of the press. We are a united country that knows how to react and stand together”.
Many other European leaders have expressed their horror. European Parliament President Martin Schulz said he was “deeply shocked” by the attack and European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström condemned this unjustifiable attack on freedom of expression. NGOs also joined the chorus of condemnation, with Amnesty International describing this as a “black day for press freedom”.
The EPP Group in the European Parliament said that “no religion and no political ideology can be used to justify murder”. “Europe must show unity in the fight against terrorism”, the group added. “In attacking journalists, it is freedom of expression and democracy that are targeted. Nothing can justify such barbarity”, said the S&D Group. “Freedom of the press and freedom of thought are unswerving and inalienable rights in Europe”, the GUE/NGL Group said. This act of violence is an attack on the basic values of democracy, said the Greens/EFA Group. The freedom of the press must be defended, stated the ALDE Group.
According to initial findings, three men burst into the offices of the weekly publication. They were still on the run on Wednesday afternoon. Charlie Hebdo has courted controversy with its “provocation” towards Islam and, particularly since it published caricatures of the prophet Mahomed, regularly received threats. On Wednesday morning, four major French cartoonists, Cabu, Charb, Wolinski and Tignous, were killed in the attack. (SP)
Call for European Council to meet
MEP Alain Lamassoure, speaking on behalf of the EPP Group, called on Wednesday for “an emergency debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg next week to discuss this new dimension of terrorism which clearly affects all European countries”. He also called for an extraordinary meeting of the European Council to be convened and for a minute's silence to be observed throughout Europe when the victims are laid to rest.
“This is an act of extreme seriousness directed at the very heart of freedom of thought and expression, basic values of our European society”, said Committee of the Regions President Michel Lebrun. (SP with LC)