All news

Danger of terrorist attacks persists in France — Prime Minister

Almost 8500 military servicemen will be involved in the realization of the anti-terrorist plan
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls  EPA/IAN LANGSDON
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls
© EPA/IAN LANGSDON

PARIS, January 12. /TASS/. Danger of terrorist attacks in France persists, the country's Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on the BFM TV channel.

The minister said the Vigipirate anti-terrorrist plan realization will be continued. He also added that 8470 military servicemen will be involved in the realization of the anti-terrorist plan.

Seventeen were killed in the French capital and its neighbourhoods in the previous week. Ten journalists from satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which had earlier published caricature images of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, three policemen and four visitors of a kosher grocery store were assassinated in the terrorist attacks.

Unity marches took place all over France on Sunday wil over 3.7 million people participating.

None of the French cities has remained indifferent to the tragedy.

The march in Paris was led by relatives of the journalists of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, police officers and shoppers at a kosher supermarket killed by terrorists.

French President Francois Hollande also joined the march. This was the first time in 25 years that a French president participated in a protest rally, after in 1990 the then President Francois Mitterrand joined a march against racism in response to desecration of Jewish graves at a cemetery of Carpentrasma. Marching side by side were the former French leader, Nicolas Sarkozy, government officials and former prime ministers. World leaders also joined the Paris march. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Prior to the rally, he arrived to the Elysee Palace to present condolences to the French president. The prime ministers of Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and heads of delegations of about 50 more states also arrived to the palace. Attorney General Eric Holder represented the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas also accepted French president’s invitation to attend the march.

Taking part were French citizens of different views and confessions, as well as representatives of practically all French parties. The National Front of Marine Le Pen was the only exception, with its leader joining a march in southern France.

Major rallies were held in Lyon, where about 300,000 people took to the streets to say ‘no’ to terrorism.

A total of 140,000 people marched in Bordeaux, and 60,000 in Marseilles. Every second citizen took part in a march in the French town of Rennes with a population of slightly more than 200,000.