Reaction pours in after multiple terrorist attacks in Paris
Photo: San Francisco City Hall Twitter page
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - With the latest death toll from Friday’s terrorist attacks set to exceed 120 people, it’s being called the worst attacks in Paris since World War II. International reaction poured in throughout the evening in solidarity with France.
Speaking to reporters from the White House, President Barack Obama called it an "outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians" and is vowing to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described the attacks as "heinous, evil" and "vile," adding that it’s "an assault on our common humanity." Kerry said the U.S. stands ready "to provide whatever support the French government may require."
European leaders weighed in too. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she is "deeply shaken by the news and pictures that are reaching us from Paris."
The German leader issued a statement saying her thoughts were with the victims "of the apparent terrorist attack."
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he is "shocked" by the violence from the attacks.
Cameron said on Twitter: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help."
Closer to home, San Francisco City Hall was somberly bathed in red, white and blue in honor of France's flag.
Mayor Ed Lee offered the following statement:
“On behalf of the residents of San Francisco, I express my deepest sorrow for the heartbreaking tragedy unfolding in Paris today. We stand in solidarity with our friends in our sister city of Paris, Mayor Hidalgo and with people all across France as they struggle with the aftermath of this very dark day. The victims of these senseless acts of violence will remain in our prayers.”
San Francisco public safety agencies are closely monitoring these incidents and have reported that there is no known threat to San Francisco, however, the San Francisco Police Department is on heightened alert with extra patrols and asks the public to report suspicious activity to 911. The French flag has been raised at San Francisco City Hall to honor the victims of this tragedy.
BART said through a spokesperson that it has a full-time investigator assigned to the FBI's joint terrorism task force. Currently there are no credible threats to the Bay Area.
East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell is on the House Intelligence Committee. This past summer he was in Paris to find out how the U.S. can better protect itself. Swalwell said after Friday’s event, his heart breaks for the French, but this is also a lesson for the U.S.
“Yesterday in Beirut, and [the] airliner in Egypt two weeks ago shows that radical terrorists everywhere across the globe are ready to take down innocent people,” said the representative for California’s 15th District. “This attack will certainly call on our intelligence committee to look across America at where are we vulnerable.”
Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff tweeted the company currently has 451 employees in Paris. 204 confirmed they were safe, but he urged the rest of his employees to establish contact.
KTVU spoke with Stanford professor Cecile Alduy who was in Paris when the Charlie Hebdo attacks happened earlier this year. She said she spoke to her family and friends in Paris and that they’re okay, but that they described Friday’s attacks as being “under siege”.
“A friend of mine was noting that he doesn’t know how to tell his children not to talk about it because there’s no way he can say, ‘This is over now.’ It’s just the beginning. Even if the attacks of today are over, it’s just the beginning of a new era that we don’t know anything about and that’s very scary.”
Alduy planned to teach a course on Charlie Hebdo at Stanford in the spring, but she’ll now broaden the subject matter to include this latest attack.