"We are in an extremely critical situation, we are at war against Islamic terrorism and maybe we have collectively put it behind us a bit," he said on Sunday during a press briefing at the occasion of a visit to a synagogue in Boulogne-Billancourt, in Hauts-de-Seine, for the Jewish feast of Yom Kippur.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Sunday that the French and their leaders had "perhaps (...) collectively" put behind them the reality of "Islamic terrorism", two days after the chopper attack in Paris .
"The Minister of the Interior is there to remind the French of the reality. We are in an extremely critical situation, we are at war against Islamic terrorism and perhaps we have collectively put him behind us a little," he said. he declared during a press point on the occasion of a visit to a synagogue in Boulogne-Billancourt, in Hauts-de-Seine, for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
"32 attacks" foiled for three years
Two days after the chopper attack which left two seriously injured in front of the former Charlie Hebdo premises in Paris, he recalled that "32 attacks" had been foiled for three years.
"It's about one a month," he insisted.
"I asked the Paris police chief to strengthen the security of a number of sites, including sites that may be symbolic", such as the former premises of the satirical newspaper, he said.
"Jews are particularly the target of Islamist attacks," he added, speaking of "774 points that are protected", such as schools and synagogues, and more than 7,000 police and soldiers mobilized this Sunday for Yom Kippur.