Press Advisories

11. 1. 201523:58

Prime minister Sobotka and foreign minister Zaorálek honour terrorist attack victims at Paris rally

On Sunday 11 January, prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka and foreign minister Lubomír Zaorálek took part in the Unity Rally in Paris in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack that has played out in the French capital in the past few days.

The “Marche républicaine” commemorative event was held to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack on the offices of the French satirical periodical Charlie Hebdo and to express the resolve to defend democratic values such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the equality of all.

“It was a fitting and good opportunity for us to honour the memory of those murdered in the recent Paris terrorist attack. I am glad that today I and the foreign minister have expressed the Czech Government’s support for its French counterpart, France and the French people in the fight against terrorism. Today’s Unity Rally was also an occasion to endorse the values underpinning European society and democracy, especially freedom of speech,” said prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka of the march today.

The Paris rally was attended by over a million people, including many leaders of countries in Europe and beyond, such as the French president Francois Hollande, the German chancellor Angela Merkel, the British PM David Cameron, the Italian premier Matteo Renzi, the Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the head of Russian diplomacy Sergey Lavrov. The European Union’s top-tier leaders – Donald Tusk, Jean-Claude Juncker, Federica Mogherini and Martin Schulz – also participated.