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RFI bosses slam Charlie Hebdo attack, world leaders condemn ‘barbaric act’

Management of RFI’s parent company, France Médias Monde, slammed the “ignominy” of Wednesday’s attack on French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo as world leaders condemned the shootings in which 12 people died.

Police investigators and firefighters in front of the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo after the attack
Police investigators and firefighters in front of the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo after the attack Reuters/Philippe Wojazer
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“All of France Médias Monde is in mourning and expresses its solidarity with our colleagues at Charlie Hebdo and the families of all the victims of the attack,” a company statement said.

The company’s employees would join a minute’s silence at 6.00pm, it added.

After Wednesday's attack security was stepped up at the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten, whose publication of 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005 sparked demonstrations throughout the Muslim world, and the headquarters of the Spanish newspaper El Pais were evacuated because of a suspected parcel bomb on Wednesday afternoon.

There was international condemnation of the attack:

  • US President Barack Obama promised US assistance after the "terrorist attack" and Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to Poland told the French people that "each and every American stands with you";
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel called it an assault on “freedom of speech and press freedom”;
  • The Arab League also dubbed the attack “terrorist”;
  • The principal Sunni-Muslim authority, Al-Azhar, called it “criminal” and declared that “Islam denounces all violence”;
  • Egypt’s government said it was “at France’s side against terrorism”;
  • Tunisia’s Islamic party, Ennahda, declared that it was “horrified and indignant”;
  • Turkey’s Islamist government condemned “all forms of terrorism” but warned against “xenophobia and Islamophobia” in Europe;
  • European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he was “profoundly shocked by the brutal and inhuman attack”;
  • Council of Europe president Donald Tusk was also “shocked” by a “revolting attack”;
  • Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that his “thoughts and prayers” were with the victims and their families;
  • Spain’s government called the attack “vile and cowardly”;
  • Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff described it as an “intolerable terrorist attack”;
  • The Vatican condemned a "double violence" on people and press freedom;
  • Italy’s government called a meeting of its anti-terror services.

 

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