Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The brutal murder of 17 people in Paris last week was an attack on freedom of expression and tolerance. As we know, cartoonists from the Charlie Hebdomagazine were among those who were killed. These innocent civilians were guilty of nothing other than availing of their freedom of expression by engaging in the long-cherished French tradition of satire. The killers also targeted French police officers who were carrying out their normal work in the line of duty. The killings left children, families, co-workers and friends in mourning for lost loved ones and colleagues. The day after the attack on the Charlie Hebdooffices, the Tánaiste attended the French Embassy to express her condolences on behalf of the Labour Party to the French ambassador, who is present here, and to pay tribute to the victims. We pay tribute to them again today as we make these statements. We are united across this democratic assembly in sending everyone who was affected by these events our deepest sympathy and support.

Last week's terrorist attacks represented an attack on all our freedoms and on everyone who believes in the values of human rights, free speech and, in particular, free journalism. France has a special heritage when it comes to rights. Today, the legacy of the French Revolution - the rights of man, or les droits des hommes- is fundamental in all modern democracies, including this one. As the great French statesman, Jacques Delors, has said, "European society has its own values that are deeply rooted in Greek democracy [and] of course, the Revolution". We have inherited those democratic traditions. That the killings took place in France carries a special significance. They constituted an attack on a country that is a beacon to the world in terms of the constitutional freedoms established there centuries ago. I refer particularly to journalistic freedoms like freedom of expression. That these attacks took place on French soil says something very profound about the motives of those who perpetrated these barbarities. The shock and horror of the barbarities wreaked on innocent people is disgraceful in itself. It is an affront to all right-thinking people. The free press is a fundamental basis for human rights and the cornerstone of democracy in Ireland, in France and everywhere.

These acts, like all acts of terror, were meant to inspire fear and horror. They were carried out in a democratic country in a gruesome way to drive home that point. Our society must reflect now, notwithstanding all the freedoms we enjoy, on how terror, with its currency of fear and loathing, can still have such purchase. It is arguable that the development of modern communications has made acts like this easier to perpetrate. We need to reflect on what that means broadly for all democratic societies. We need to think of the implications of these acts for the EU, which is a community of nations that was founded on democratic principles, particularly the principle of bringing an end to war and conflict. All European countries, to a greater or lesser extent, are countries of free movement and emigration. It appears from the brief descriptions of the perpetrators of these atrocities that they did not integrate into the true values of French society, even though they grew up in France. The ideology behind the attacks presents a real risk to the EU in so far as it is being advanced by young people who have grown up in the Union while somehow cultivating jihadi values that are alien and foreign to the values of modern Europe. The twin challenge of Europe - of inclusion and solidarity - is more relevant than ever in the wake of these outrages. Last Saturday, the Tánaiste, on behalf of the Labour Party, stood with members of the National Union of Journalists and the French ambassador in solidarity with the victims of this awful attack, conscious that an attack on journalism in one country is an attack on the free press everywhere. We in Ireland stand united with France in defence of freedom of the press and freedom of expression and against extremism and terror. We will remain steadfast in our resolve to stand there.

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