“It was a funny paper written by funny people.”
Camille Grellet talks to Felix about the reaction of her home country during the attacks
Felix spoke to Camille Grellet, a Bioengineer and the vice president of the French Society. Camille was in France during the attack, and told us how the country seemed to go into a state of shock. Stations, shops and locations of interest were closed whilst the terrorists were still on the run, and people were advised to stay in their home.
However, Camille said that people wouldn’t let what happen stop them continuing to live their lives. “People now know not to be afraid after what happened; it was one of the slogans of the demo on Sunday in Paris, and the people of France won’t let what happened impact on their freedom of speech.
“People were cautious and initially scared after the attack, but didn’t let it keep them hidden away for long. The country woke up and kept going, and the display of solidarity in Paris during the Sunday demo was something that had never been seen before.
“It is important to point out just what Charlie Hebdo was: it was a funny newspaper ran by funny people, nice people with families, people who didn’t mean genuine harm. They poked fun at everything, not just Islam, but in no way did they deserve what happened.
“When it initially happened, we were in shock. We flocked to the television and all people could do was watch it unfold. The country froze for three days, and only when the culprits were caught did people relax and continue with our lives.
“We need to fight what happened together, and not forget what happened. You aren’t going to take control a country by doing this. We are stronger then that.”
