One of euronews’ senior French journalists spoke to a German colleague based in Brussels, but who was covering the reactions in the crowds that
One of euronews’ senior French journalists spoke to a German colleague based in Brussels, but who was covering the reactions in the crowds that gathered in Paris after the attack on satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”
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Laurence Alexandrowicz, in Lyon:
“Olaf, hello. You have been covering the attack in Paris for euronews. You’ve been there since yesterday, so do you feel that this attack marks a turning point? What are the French saying?”
Olaf Bruns, in Paris:
“The French people that I met were angry, hurt and felt deeply wounded but when I asked them if they felt it was a turning point they replied no, it shouldn’t be, and that everyone had to do everything to make sure it wasn’t.”
L.A:
“Politicians immediately called for people not to jump to hasty conclusions after the drama. Two mosques have been attacked since the Paris outrage, so can you feel a rise in islamophobia?”
O.B:
“I’m not feeling that here in Paris, although it has to be said I’ve been in the upmarket districts where there’s little racism and the vote for the FN is small. However I have met several French people with north African roots who have said they fear a rise in militant Islam and anti-Muslim feeling, and that people will associate them with terrorists.
Several of them condemned the attack as barbaric and said Islam had not condoned or commanded it, and all the Muslims I met were very clearly against it and very keen to establish a distance between them and what happened yesterday. ‘These terrorists did not speak for us’ they said, ‘and were not carrying out the will of Islam’.”