Solidarity and unity against terrorism

Romania joins the international community to condemn the terrorist attack in Paris on the head offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

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Roxana Vasile, 09.01.2015, 13:44

“Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie)…”Nous sommes, tous, Charlie” (We are all Charlie”…these are the words on everybody’s lips these days marked by stupefaction and revolt towards an awful gesture: the killing, in cold blood, of people who had turned satirical journalism into a passion and a job. Shortly after the attack on the head offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine, Romania has joined the international community to condemn terrorism and all the acts of violence against the freedom of speech. On Thursday the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the PM Victor Ponta and other Romanian officials signed the book of condolences opened by the French officials in Bucharest.

PM Victor Ponta: “I want to express, first and foremost, the solidarity of the Romanian government, of the Romanians in general with the families of those who lost their loved ones. I also want to express our indignation at such criminal gestures and actions that cannot be either excused or justified. I have already expressed Romania’s conviction that, alongside France, alongside all the world’s democratic and civilized countries, we can fight for a future where inhuman acts such as intolerance and terrorism can be prevented and punished right away when they happen”.

Many people went to the French Embassy in Bucharest to sign in the book of condolences and to lay flowers and light candles, in sign of solidarity with the victims’ families. Many people have also expressed their compassion on Facebook. The Romanian President himself changed his profile picture with a black square inside which you can read in big, white letters “Je suis Charlie”.

In the western Romanian city of Cluj Napoca, hosting a large French academic community from Central and Eastern Europe, a rally in memory of the victims was held on Thursday evening, which was attended by French students, Romanian journalists and civil society representatives. Romania is home to almost 70 thousand Muslims, 98% of whom live in the southeast and who peacefully have practiced their religion there for more than 500 years. On their behalf the Mufti Muurat Iusuf conveyed a letter of condolences to the French Embassy. “All the tragic attacks carried out with sheer cruelty have no relation with the Islamic religion, and those who perpetrate such acts cannot be recognized as brothers by a Muslim community” the letter shows.

Let’s not forget that one of the victims of the Paris attacks, a policeman who had been downed and then cowardly shot in the middle of the street, was a Muslim. That is why for some the message of these days is “Je suis Charlie et Ahmed”. It is their way to clearly say NO to any correlation between Islamic radicals and Muslims.