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PARIS TERROR ATTACK

TERRORISM

Charlie Hebdo killings spark Swiss rallies

Hundreds of people attended solidarity rallies in Geneva, Lausanne and Bern on Wednesday night over the terror attack at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine’s editorial offices in Paris that left 12 people dead.

Published: 7 January 2015 23:39 CET
Charlie Hebdo killings spark Swiss rallies

The rallies mirrored ones held in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities across France, as well as in London, Berlin and other European cities, as the French coped with their worst terrorist incident since the Algerian war.

Ten members of the magazine’s staff were killed, including its editor Stéphane Charbonnier, known as Charb, and cartoonists well-known in French-speaking Switzerland such as Cabu, Wolinski and Tignous.

French police were seeking three suspects in connection with the killings, including two brothers in their 30s, according to media reports, which have suggested a radical Islamic group such as Al Qaeda may be responsible.

Two gunmen shown in a video are heard to shout “the prophet has been avenged” after the killings at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, known for satirizing Islam through cartoons.

Around 500 people gathered in silence at the Place de la Riponne, in the centre of Lausanne, lighting candles and brandishing “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) signs that have sprung up in France and elsewhere as symbols of sympathy and indignation over the assassinations.

(Journalists at AFP’s newsroom in Paris gathered en masse to pose for a group photo holding up “Je suis Charlie” signs.)

Local politicians, including the head of the Vaud cantonal government, Pierre-Yves Maillard, participated along with local journalists at the Lausanne gathering, which began at 6pm.

“I grew up with Charlie Hebdo and the Canard Enchaîné (another French satirical weekly),” cantonal cabinet minister Béatrice Métraux told 24heures newspaper.

“I am profoundly shocked by what has happened.”

Earlier in the day, the Vaud government issued a statement condemning “with force this aggression against the fundamental principles of democracy and liberty”.

In Geneva, more than 500 people gathered for a similar rally at the Uni Mall, one of the University of Geneva’s main buildings.

Local journalists, cartoonists and artists were among those at the event, where many participants held up copies of the Charlie Hebdo magazine, a publication that was known for its provocative humour.

Journalists are also planning another solidarity rally on Thursday at a square in the centre of Geneva.

Another rally organized by journalists attracted around 200 people in Bern, where the federal government earlier issued a statement of condolences to the families of victims in the Paris terror attack.

CRIME

Hoax bomb threats against French airports ‘traced to Swiss email’

Repeated bomb threats against dozens of French airports which led to evacuations and flight cancellations have been 'traced to an email address in Switzerland', according to French authorities.

Published: 23 October 2023 09:13 CEST
Hoax bomb threats against French airports 'traced to Swiss email'

More than 70 bomb threats have been made against French airports in the past week, leading to evacuations at dozens of airports and at least 130 flights cancelled.

Most of the alerts were triggered by emails warning of a bomb in the airport – more than 70 such emails have been received by airports around the country such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris Beauvais, Marseille and dozens of smaller airports – including Basel-Mulhouse on the Franco-Swiss border. 

On Sunday French Transport Minister Clément Beaune said that “almost all of the threats have been traced to the same email address, situated in Switzerland”.

He added: “Since Wednesday, it is almost always the same email address that is used, located outside the European Union, in Switzerland”.

He called on hosting sites to help the French authorities, saying: “Everyone has a responsibility, including the platforms and social networks, not to support this kind of attack and to cooperate as quickly as possible with the French civil aviation authorities and our justice system.”

In France, the maximum penalty for making a hoax bomb threat is two years in jail and a €30,000 fine.

As well as airport evacuations and flight disruption, French tourist sites have also been hit with bomb hoaxes – the Palace of Versailles has been evacuated seven times in the past week.

It comes in the context of a tense situation in France as the country raised its terror alert to maximum after an apparent Islamist attack on Friday, October 13th in which a teacher was killed and two others wounded.

Security at large events such as the Rugby World Cup matches has been stepped up. 

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