We stand in solidarity with the people of Paris

November 14, 2015

Last night Paris came under attack with a series of gun and bomb attacks. Current estimates show that over 140 people have been killed, and many more injured. Humanist Society Scotland stands in solidarity with the people of Paris and of France.

HSS Chief Executive, Gordon MacRae, said:

“This attack on the people of Paris is attack on us all; it is an attack on our common humanity.”

“The people of Scotland have had a special relationship dating back centuries. Through the time of the enlightenment, Scottish and French philosophers helped to develop the principles of empiricism and rationality, and helped to lay the groundwork for the modern human rights movement. It is therefore even more shocking that the people of Paris should be subject to such barbaric attacks, based on the deeply mistaken and anti-human ideology of ISIS.”

“We stand in solidarity with France. It is in times like this that we must reassert our commitment to the international principles of enlightenment, challenging the forces of fascism and violence with the ongoing commitment to building a fair, tolerant and open society. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.”

President of the IHEU, Andrew Copson, said today:

“All nations must respond to this provocation with the values that violent Jihadist extremism most hates: with the patience and clarity that allow us to differentiate extremists and provocateurs from the ordinary people who share the religion that they claim; with the good judgement and rationality that allow us to work together as an international community to end the suffering that they cause; and with the firm determination to always promote humanity and hope, over hatred and fear.”

Image Courtesy: ·júbilo·haku·, Creative Commons.