Saturday

2nd Dec 2023

MEPs commemorate victims of French attacks

  • Members of the European Parliament take a moment of silence to remember the victims of terror attacks in France (Photo: European Parliament)

Leaders of anti-establishment parties in the European Parliament have criticised the EU's immigration policies in the wake of the terrorist attacks in France, as protesters of the Pegida-movement in Germany took to the streets again on Monday (12 January).

The European Parliament opened its plenary session in Strasbourg this week with a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of terrorist attacks in France last week.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

It was the first plenary since France was shocked by an assaults on the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in Paris.

Several MEPs had put up placards on their desks saying “Je suis Charlie” or wore T-shirts with the text, which has become a sign of solidarity with victims.

EP president Martin Schulz read aloud the names of the 17 victims who had been killed by gunmen in France, and on behalf of the parliament expressed condolences to their families.

“We must fight together not to be contaminated by the hatred of terrorists. We must defend freedom for everybody in Europe and throughout the world”, said Schulz.

During the statements by political group leaders that followed, British eurosceptic MEP Nigel Farage said immigration “made it frankly impossible for many new communities to integrate”.

“We're going to have to be a lot braver and a lot more courageous in standing up for our Judeo-Christian culture”, said Farage, who wants the UK to leave the EU and leads a eurosceptic group in the EP.

Far-right MEP Marine Le Pen, leader of France's National Front, connected the attacks to European immigration and security policies.

“Is the total opening of our national borders the real way to control fundamentalists who cross borders at will? Is it not the policies of austerity that have weakened our ability to respond? Or the disarming of our police and armies?”.

Shortly after the opening of the plenary, tens of thousands took to the streets in Germany, as the anti-islam movement Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (Pegida) on Monday continued its weekly gatherings.

A record number of 25,000 anti-immigration protesters rallied in Dresden under the flag of Pegida, while around 100,000 anti-Pegida demonstrators showed up, mostly elsewhere in Germany.

Since October, Pegida has marched every Monday in Dresden, and later in other German cities, to protest against what they call the islamisation of Europe. Monday's was the first time they gathered since the terrorist attacks in France.

The German minister for justice, Heiko Maas, had asked the organisers to call off their planned protest for Monday, only three days after the French police ended a three-day security crisis.

“It is simply disgusting how the people behind these protests are trying to exploit the despicable crimes in Paris”, Maas told Bild.

However, the Pegida movement stated on its webpage that the events in France have confirmed their belief.

“The Islamists, which Pegida has been warning about for 12 weeks, showed France that they are not capable of democracy but rather look to violence and death as an answer”, it said.

For her part, German chancellor Angela Merkel and most of her cabinet are planning to attend a rally on Tuesday (13 January) organised by the country's muslim community. She said on Monday that Islam “belongs in Germany”.

Meanwhile, the surviving staff of the Charlie Hebdo magazine on Monday revealed that its next issue, to be published on Wednesday (14 January), will feature a cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammed, holding up a “Je suis Charlie”-sign, below the line “all is forgiven”.

In the US, a spokesperson for president Barack Obama said Washington “should have sent someone with a higher profile” to Sunday's solidarity march in Paris, which was attended by several dozens of government leaders.

The US was represented by its ambassador to France.

Brussels denies having no 'concern' on Spain's amnesty law

The Spanish government remains secretive about its negotiations with pro-independence Catalans, but claims the EU Commission has "zero concerns" about their proposed amnesty law for Catalan separatists. The EU executive denies that.

Opinion

Dubai's COP28 — a view from the ground

Discussion of the biggest existential threat humanity has ever faced is barely mentioned on billboards or signage in Dubai — yet visitors are made aware quite quickly that t world rugby sevens tournament is imminent.

Opinion

'Pay or okay?' — Facebook & Instagram vs the EU

Since last week, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta corporation is forcing its European users to either accept their intrusive privacy practices — or pay €156 per year to access Facebook and Instagram without tracking advertising.

Latest News

  1. Israel's EU ambassador: 'No clean way to do this operation'
  2. Brussels denies having no 'concern' on Spain's amnesty law
  3. Dubai's COP28 — a view from the ground
  4. Germany moves to criminalise NGO search-and-rescue missions
  5. Israel recalls ambassador to Spain in new diplomatic spat
  6. Migrant return bill 'obstructed' as EU states mull new position
  7. Paris and Berlin key to including rape in gender-violence directive
  8. What are the big money debates at COP28 UN climate summit?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us