je suis charlie

Mum and I went to the rassemblement at the mairie this morning. The mayor spoke brilliantly about what the country has been through these past few horrifying days. He talked about France's values of equality and secularism and that we should all be upholding these values. He said that there is no place for racism in a country where so many of us come from so many different backgrounds. He asked everyone to be vigilent and to stand together in the coming weeks and months, and to remember "liberté, égalité, fraternité".

I was really glad he spoke of the need to stick together and to support one another regardless of race or background. It's easy to be angry and want to lash out in times like this, but the terrorists will only have won if people decide to seek revenge. What we need is unity, acceptance, tolerance, and grace.

The innocent people who lost their lives in Paris this week were much loved by many. I hope their families can find the strength to get through this extremely difficult time. I also hope France can recover from what has been a terrifying and extremely upsetting few days.