Paris / Prague Politicians from around the world have expressed solidarity with France and condemned Thursday’s attack in Nice, which killed three people and which the French police are investigating as terrorist. The news agencies inform about it.
The presidents and prime ministers of the European Union issued a joint statement in the evening, according to which the attacks in France are “shocked and saddened”. In addition to European statesmen, Pope Francis and the Turkish Foreign Ministry, for example, condemned the attack. Politicians also call for unity in the fight against terrorism.
Brutal terrorist attack in France. In Nice, three people were murdered with a knife, one woman lost her head |
“We strongly condemn these attacks, which are attacks on our common values,” said the heads of state and government. Their country stands alongside France in the joint fight against terrorism and violent extremism, they added. They also called on leaders from around the world to work together on “dialogue and understanding” between religions.
A man armed with a knife on Thursday at a church in the southern French seaside town of Nice cut off the woman’s head and killed two other people; during the act and after the arrest of the police, he called Allah akbar in Arabic (God is great). Another man shot by police was threatening passers-by near Avignon, and in Lyon police detained a suspect Afghan with a knife, calling the incident “serious.”
“Germany expresses belonging to the French nation,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was shocked by the attack in Nice and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called for unity and for the defense of the values of freedom and peace.
“The whole of Europe is in solidarity with France. In the face of bigotry and barbarism, we are united and determined, “said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, the whole of Europe is saddened by the attack in Nice.
Pope Francis on Thursday called for an end to all violence; according to him, the assailant in Nice “sowed death in a place of comfort and love, such as the temple of the Lord.” “Terrorism and violence can never be accepted,” the head of the Catholic Church said in a statement.
“Our hearts are with the French nation. America stands by our oldest ally in this fight. These terrorist attacks by radical Islamists must stop immediately. No country, France or another, can stand it for long! ”Said US President Donald Trump.
The attack on Nice was also condemned by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. However, tensions have risen between France and Turkey in recent days over a dispute over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad published by the French media, while Muslims find such actions unacceptable.
Russia has refused to kill three people in Nice. However, according to Reuters, the Kremlin added that it was a mistake to insult the religious feelings of believers. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack a “cynical and cruel crime.” In front of the French embassy in Moscow, several dozen people gathered at the same time on Thursday to condemn cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. When asked by journalists whether such a magazine could exist in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was impossible. He recalled that there were about 20 million Muslims in the country and local laws forbade insults to religious beliefs.
The attack on Nice was also condemned on Twitter by the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, according to whom the Czech Republic is behind French President Emmanuel Macron and all the French. In a condolence addressed to Macron, President Miloš Zeman said that people must not allow themselves to be controlled by fear of fanatics and must defend European values. Like Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček, he expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the attack.
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