Members of French special police forces of Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) and French scientific police are seen at the scene during a raid after a hostage-taking in the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. (Reuters)
EU vows to help France fight ISIS ‘barbarity’
A spate of attacks in Germany since July 18 have left 11 people dead and dozens injured, fuelling public unease
The head of the European Commission on Tuesday pledged “Europe’s solidarity and cooperation in the fight against barbarity”, in a letter to French President Francois Hollande after a church attack claimed by ISIS.
“More than ever, all over Europe, solidarity and cooperation will be essential in the fight against barbarity and to ensure that our shared values prevail,” Jean-Claude Juncker wrote.
“The European Commission is fully mobilized, along with other European institutions, to provide all the support it can to France in these painful moments,” he added.
In a statement, the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also expressed solidarity and offered her “condolences to the families of the victims, to France and the Catholic Church.”
“Targeting a man of faith, of any faith, is always a crime against our common humanity because it means targeting the deeper essence of our lives, believers and non-believers alike,” she said.
