Showing solidarity with France in
Trafalgar Square, London:
With the French in a state of
shock after a deadly attack on the
irreverent cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo,
the question is: can
the right to mock be protected from fear and
self-censorship?
War has Come to France - and France Must Win it (Le Figaro, France)
"Since
yesterday, euphemisms are no longer appropriate: This is war, a real war that
has been declared on us: the war of Islamist fanaticism against the West,
Europe and the values of democracy. … Make no mistake about it: If France is
now in the crosshairs of Allah’s madmen, other free countries were there
yesterday, and others will be there again tomorrow. Ultimately, it isn't this
nation or that being targeted, but a way of life, values, civilization - ours –
in which women are equal to men, rights of conscience are a non-negotiable
requirement and freedom of expression an absolute imperative."
After the attacks on the editorial offices of
Charlie Hebdo, Le Figaro Editorial Director Alexis Brézet calls for national unity and an unremitting response
to terrorism.
This is a war, a real war waged not by soldiers but by
shadowy assassins, methodical and organized killers whose quiet savagery
curdles the blood. These savages killed yesterday, in the middle of Paris.
This has been a war for a long time but we didn't want to
see it. It was unfolding so far away from us, was it not? On the borders of
Syria, Iraq, Nigeria or Libya … Out of scruples – and likely out of fear, too,
we dared not speak its name. Birds of ill omen which didn't shy away from breaking
that rule were promptly disqualified. The warning signs - those "crazy
acts" committed during Christmas - again by "lunatics" - were
immediately dismissed. Since yesterday, euphemisms are no longer appropriate:
This is war, a real war that has been declared on us: the war of Islamist
fanaticism against the West, Europe and the values of democracy.
Posted By Worldmeets.US Jan.
6, 2015 9:27am
Make no mistake: If France is now in the crosshairs
of Allah’s madmen, other free countries were there yesterday, and others will
be there again tomorrow. Ultimately, it isn't this nation or that being
targeted, but a way of life, values, civilization - ours – in which women are
equal to men, rights of conscience are a non-negotiable requirement and freedom
of expression an absolute imperative. In assassinating journalists and police,
and we mustn't forget this - the terrorists didn't strike at random. They aimed
right at the heart of freedom of thought and those who protect it and through
them at democracy and the Republic - the two pillars of our nation.
Confronted with war, our first duty is to unite. Whatever
our origins, our opinions, our religions or our political choices, we must
immediately and without hesitation proclaim our sacred union. With the ordeal
now spreading through our country, nothing could be worse than to give our
adversary the gift of petty quarrelling or political divisions. In this respect
we must salute the dignity of our public officials who, with the president of
the republic at their head, were able to find the right words.
We also salute the representatives of the Muslim community
who have shouted loud and strong about the horror they felt at the abject
crimes of these barbarians disguised as devotees. But the second duty is to arm
ourselves, first of all, morally: how can we defend our values if we aren't
convinced of their pre-eminent dignity? Politically and legally, for too long,
in the name of a perverted humanism and excessive anti-racism, we have been
complacent toward our worst enemies. These "lost children of jihad,"
fanatics unleashed by the Internet, but also these influential groups who,
draped in their "community" finery, openly conspire against our
country and its security. Against them, we must strike. Without
weakness or faintheartedness. When a war comes, it must be won.
