The statement below was released by France's Left Front, a left group uniting the Left Party, the Communist Party of France other other smaller left groups, in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hedbo that left at least 12 people dead.
About 35,000 people attended the union-called demonstration on the evening of January 7 that the statement mentions. The translated statement is taken from John Passant's blog.
***
The deadly attack against Charlie Hebdo dumbfounds us. More than a dozen deaths including cartoonists Charb, Wolinski, Cabu and Tignous! Our first thoughts go to the families and friends of the victims. The Left Front gives them its full solidarity.
This barbaric act must not go without a response. The attack was on a newspaper … It is the freedom of the press that they wanted to attack. It is our freedom to think they wanted to undermine. It is the democratic freedoms they want to question. They will not succeed in intimidating us.
Faced with this heinous act, we need a response that mobilises all democrats, a response that shows that our citizenship, refuses to be dragged into a spiral of fear, a response which affirms, facing terrorism, that France is rich in diversity, proud of freedom of opinion that prevails. Faced with terror, we must respond with more democracy, more fraternity and tolerance.
This is why the Left Front calls on all democratic forces to react. The Left Front calls for a huge presence at the General Conferation of Labour (CGT)-called demonstration.
Like the article? Subscribe to Green Left now! You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.