Fon Mathuros, Head of Media, Public Engagement, Tel.: +41 (0)79 201 0211, Email: fma@weforum.org
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 23 January 2015 – It wasn’t only France that was attacked two weeks ago – freedom itself was attacked, said President François Hollande of France. “It is the very foundation of our society which has found itself under assault,” he added. Hollande was speaking at the 45th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland from 21 to 24 January 2015.
The President expressed the gratitude of the French people for the exceptional international solidarity shown in the aftermath of the attacks. “All countries are vulnerable to terrorism,” he said.
Highlighting France’s principles of unity and tolerance, he said any anti-Semitic attack is unacceptable, just as any anti-Muslim attack is unacceptable. “In France, every religion has equal place,” he declared.
“The sources of terrorism cannot go unnamed,” Hollande stressed, referring to the jihad movement, ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Terrorism fuels itself by way of illicit flows of drugs, money and people, he said. “Terrorists are also using the internet as a weapon of indoctrination, manipulation and confusion.”
Hollande called for an international, shared response to terrorism by both government and business. “Europe must strengthen its border protection, enhance its tracking capabilities and invest in cyber defence and cybersecurity,” he said.
The international community needs to do more to resolve existing conflicts and stabilize simmering global hotspots, he said. “Every time the world lets a conflict linger, terrorism flourishes,” he added. “France will always be present. Whenever it can act, it will.”
He said France is determined to maintain its critical place in the world, in the context of international relations as well as in technology and industry. “The economy is a key determinant of security.” Current economic growth is too weak and unemployment is too weak, he said.
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