Trial of the January 2015 attacks: the terrorists "lost", according to François Hollande

Three days before the trial of the January 2015 terrorist attacks, François Hollande, who was then president, felt that the jihadists had "lost" in their desire to "divide the French".

"I was afraid that society itself would fall apart, because that was the intention of the terrorists: to divide the French, to stigmatize the Muslims, to ensure that we have the spirit of hatred, which ultimately is the one who animates them, "said the former head of the socialist state on France 2, Sunday evening.

🗣 Attacks of 2015: "I was afraid that society would fall apart. It was the intention of the terrorists; to divide the French, to stigmatize the Muslims (...) But they lost" confides @fhollande

▶ # JT20h with @ThomasSotto pic.twitter.com/sytEw26dr1

According to him, the terrorists "lost". "They lost because the reaction of the French people [...] was admirable", he added, recalling the demonstration of January 11, 2015, which had gathered more than four million French people.

>> To see: Gérard Biard, editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo: "The Kouachi brothers did not kill Charlie"

"France, that's what the French understood, it is the country of freedom and, in this demonstration of January 11, there was both freedom of expression, that of Charlie, there was also the police, who were greeted, applauded. [...] And, also, there was the stigmatization of hatred, that of anti-Semitism. "

"A use of the police" not "necessarily up to the task"

François Hollande then explained the current rise in violence against the police by "a use of the police which was not necessarily up to what was desired, including in demonstrations ", especially those of yellow vests.

"There is also violence in society", he added, stressing that "we are in a period of great insecurity and we need the police and the gendarmerie".

>> To see: Attacks of January 2015: "Je suis Charlie", 5 years later

Asked about the use of the term "wild" by the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, the former head of state considered that "it is not by pronouncing words which are often shattering that we settle The problem is by bringing in more police officers, by ensuring that justice intervenes more quickly, more firmly in certain circumstances, and that we can fight against all trafficking ".

With AFP

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