Terrorist Attacks in France

Terrorist+Attacks+in+France

Sean Yang, Staff Writer

On Oct. 29, three people were killed at a church in the city of Nice, France. The French President Emmanuel Macron has already called this tragic event a “terrorist attack.” 

Three victims were killed during the attack on the church. A 60-year-old woman was “virtually beheaded” and a 55-year-old man had his throat cut in the church. Another woman managed to flee to a nearby cafe after being stabbed several times, but still died due to the fatal injuries. The people were notified of the attack after a witness in the vicinity raised an alarm set up by the city.

“We heard many people shout in the street. We saw from the window that there were many, many policemen coming, and gunshots, many gunshots,” said a witness who lived near the church. 

According to the French police, a 21-year-old male suspect was shot and detained. The suspect is believed to follow Islam as he kept repeating “Allahu Ackbar”, which means “God is greatest” in Arabic. 

In response to these attacks, President Macron has already deployed an excess of over 4,000 troops to protect other churches as well as schools. France has raised its national security to the highest level as well as delving into the origins of the suspects. This is due to the fact that there were other attacks either in France or related to the country. 

The first attack occurred when a man was shot dead after using a handgun to threaten police in the city of Avignon, while the second attack happened outside the French consulate in Saudi Arabia. These events have caused the French president to believe that the terrorists were after the values of freedom in France as the people are allowed to freely believe in what they want.

However, another cause of the attacks may be due to President Macron’s defense of cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. There have been several days of protest in Muslim-majority countries that were brought about by President Macron’s actions.

“I say it with great clarity once again today: we won’t surrender anything,” said President Macron. 

An abundance of soldiers are being deployed all over the country in order to help prevent any future attacks. Although the main motive for the attack on Nice has not been determined, the president is taking every precaution to be prepared for any further attacks.

The current terrorist level in France remains high as it was a couple of years ago. These attacks are leaving the French people feeling scared and disoriented. President Macron’s extension of security is only the first step of ensuring the safety of people in France.

 

Photo courtesy of GLOBAL.CHINADAILY.COM