The attacks in Paris are a callous and devastating assault on innocent people who were enjoying an evening out in a beautiful city. Our prayers are with all who have lost loved ones, with those who have been injured and with the many who will be traumatised by what they have seen and experienced. We also remember the courage and dedication of members of the emergency services.
For every society – including our own – such attacks are a major challenge. Governments have a primary duty to do what is necessary to protect their people. But it is difficult, if not impossible, to protect a civilian population without diminishing the very freedoms – freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech – which are the hallmarks of the kind of free society which we wish to sustain in the face of terrorist threat. This is the time for mourning and for care of those who are suffering. The time will come for debate about how safety and freedom are to be held in balance. As Christians are called to do, we pray for those who have to take these difficult decisions.
