After the tragic events that happened on January 7th, 8th and 9th, the French Government decided to organize a march in the purpose to testify its support to families and to show that France will always stand firm against terrorism. This march took place on January 11th 2015. At the beginning, it was only planned in Paris, but there were marches everywhere in France and all around the world where French people live. At last, the authorities counted 3,5 million French reunite in the country to protest against the murders.
This fact shows the unity of the French nation, in a country where this value is not always obvious. The unity of a nation is the feeling of belonging felt by a same national community nevermind religions, politics opinions, culture, geographical origins… We could see this feeling when French muslims were standing by French catholics’ or jewishes’ side. It’s a proof of the French fraternity, value which is present in the motto :
« Liberty, Equality, Fraternity ».
The liberty is also defended by this republican march. Indeed, the attacks against Charlie Hebdo are attacks against freedom of the press and of speech, values defended by Charb, Tignous, Wolinski, Cabu and Honoré, caricaturists who were assassinated by the terrorists on January 7th.
The freedom of speech is the right for every person to think as they want and to express their opinions by all the ways they want, in every domain. It is definite by the 19th article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights :
« Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers ».
By caricaturing every religion (and every politician, famous people, etc…), Charlie Hebdo’s journalists represented this universal right. By killing these journalists, the terrorists wanted to kill this freedom of opinion and expression. But they didn’t. Neither did they erase the laïcité from our society.
Indeed, the terrorists attacked this principle furthered by the drawers. It corresponds to the strict separation between the church and the state, definite by the law of 1905, and more generally the neutrality of the State towards every cult or religion. This principle is also written in the French constitution of 1958 :
« The Republic neither recognizes, nor salaries, nor subsidizes any religion ».
The attacks that took place in the beginning of January revived the discussion about laïcité in France. Some mesures have been taken at school, politicians have been talking and talking about that, hoping that these events won’t happen again.
The struggle against terrorism has also been defended and relaunched since this week. It concerns all the world for some journalists and politcians called these events « the French 11th September ». Indeed, on September, 11th 2001, terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in New-York City, event that set off a mondial struggle against fundamentalism.
It’s a fight that has to be led by every country and thus every nation in the purpose to prevent terrorists from attacking again and comitting other terrible murders.
Emylie Meilhac
Clémentine Ravinet
1ère S2
23/01/2015