site.btaFrench Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes: Any Free Country May Become Target of Terrorists, Enemies of Democracy

French Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes: Any Free Country May Become Target of Terrorists, Enemies of Democracy


Sofia, January 8 (BTA) - In a statement sent to BTA on
Wednesday, French Ambassador here Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes
wrote that any free country can become a target of terrorists
and enemies of democracy. "Exactly because we are free, we ban
ourselves from controlling thinking and opinions," the diplomat
wrote.

On Wednesday gunmen attacked the French satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing 12 people.

In his statement the French Ambassador wrote that Charlie Hebdo
is a French satirical paper set up in 1960 and named as such
only in 1970. "With its traditional libertarian views and
sardonic tone, the edition has always fought stupidity,
intolerance, the spirit of propriety, hate. The paper's
satirical attitude has never stopped it from also being an
investigative paper," the Ambassador said.

Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes said also that "exactly
because we want to be a society of free citizens, we: French
people and Bulgarians, reject the idea that a police state is
preferrable".

The diplomat thanked the Bulgarian authorities, President Rosen
Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, ministers,
politicians, reporters and Bulgarian people who spontaneously
and immediately pledged their support for France.