Francois Hollande called the French to “reject fear” and unite – Le Point

Francois Hollande on Monday called on the French to stand united against the terrorist threat and to “refuse fear,” which would be the “worst poison” for “living together”, on the eve of the national holiday.

“A fundamentalist terrorism has installed a few hours flight from home. It destroys, he murders, killing it, it violates, the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, but also on our soil, “said he said at a reception at the Ministry of Defence, with Hotel de Brienne. “Faced with these attacks, these threats, our country must refuse the division, because that’s what the terrorists want, and fear because it could be the worst poison in our national community,” Does -he added in the presence of Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The commitment of armed welcomed

“The fear lead us to abandon this we hold most dear: our freedoms, our ability to live together, respect for each other, “said the head of state. “Faced with these threats, we need to hold on, have the necessary firmness, but also coolness. “

Francois Hollande welcomed the commitment of the armed defense of these values ​​in the country as in foreign theaters. “The threat has reached a level that has no equivalent in our recent history and justifies the exceptional mobilization of our military,” he said, referring to the 10,000 soldiers deployed in emergency on the national territory Following the attacks in January. The operation, dubbed Sentinel, now has 7,000 permanent military mobilized for the defense of sensitive sites, including Jews.

Europe, “a continent of solidarity ‘

President praised the memory of soldiers who died in the exercise of their mission and paid tribute to their families and the injured, present in large numbers at the reception in the gardens of the Hotel de Brienne. “July 14 is a day of unity, unity of France around his army. “Drawing a parallel with the compromise reached in Brussels in pain to avoid a” Grexit “, he recalled the” price paid by our elders for France and Europe could be free “and the duty of solidarity that this imposes .

“Europe must show in all circumstances it is faithful to the story, it is a continent of solidarity where we made sure that all the nations that compose it can be supported [...], including a country that is dear, Greece, and for our civilization represents a share of our origins. Whose culture irrigates us today, the proud people who suffered so much in recent years as expected from France, “he said.