Once again, terrorist violence hit our country, in Nice, taking the life of 84 victims and leaving dozens wounded, in a critical condition.
The Collective against Islamophobia in France condemns, once again, all forms of violence and sends a message of support and solidarity to all families who have been affected by this disaster. We have a deep though for those whose life has been taken, while they were sharing of moment of friendship and solidarity, attending the national holiday’s fireworks. In this post-terror context, CCIF calls for the authorities’ sense of responsibility and warns against a possible backlash against Muslim communities.
We call for :
- The reinforcement of protection mechanisms around religious places and community centers, especially in the Nice region
- An increased surveillance of racist groups and islamophobic movements, very active in the surrounding of Nice, who have explicitly called for violence against Muslims, as a retaliation for recent terrorist attacks
- A re-assessment of our anti-terror policies, on the basis of recent reports, highlighting the flaws and collateral damage of the State of emergency, the racial/religious profiling of Muslim families, contributing in weakening our intelligence system, while infringing on our most fundamental freedom.
Finally, in this time of mourning and solidarity, we call on political figures and media commentators’ higher sense of responsibility, in order to unite our people instead of dividing us. What is happening harms us all, irrespective of our faith, origin or nationality.
If we want to stand a chance in defeating terrorism, we must never abandon the very values upon which our country is built: freedom, equality and brotherhood.
