The South French city of Nice suffered a terrorist attack on 29 October: a Tunisian man armed with a knife attacked the cathedral in the centre of the city, killing at least three people. President Macron rushed to Nice to visit the city. The United Nations, the European Union and many European countries expressed their solidarity with France, and Turkey, which had previously been at odds with France, condemned the attack. In addition, there were suspected attempted attacks in several parts of France that day.
On the other hand, on the evening of 29th, the French Prime Minister and his ministers announced the details of the “sealing of the city”. The French government is having a hard time with the threat of a terrorist attack in New Canaan.
Three people were killed in an attack on a church in Nice.
According to AFP, the attack on the 29th was on the Church of the Assumption (Notre-Dame de l’Assomption) in Nice. The current attack has left three people dead.
According to Moulins-Beaufort, president of the French bishops’ conference, the church’s lay clergy, a 45-year-old man married with two daughters, were among the dead, as were two women, one of whom escaped and died in a nearby café. At least one of the two women is believed to have died from a throat slit.
The assailant, a 21-year-old Tunisian, was reportedly smuggled into Italy on 20 September this year. He was captured by the Italian authorities on 4 October and registered on 9 October at a refugee camp in Bari, Italy, where he was assisted by the Italian Red Cross. He then travelled to France, where he described himself as a 25-year-old named “Brahim”.
He reportedly shouted “Allah Akbar” several times at the scene of the incident and was shot and subdued by police in the town of Nice, where he is currently being treated in hospital. AFP quoted local sources as saying that the assailant’s real name may have been Brahim Aouissaoui.
AFP quoted Aurélien Thiebaut, an eyewitness at the scene, as saying, “I saw the guy (the assailant) return and hide in the cathedral. Then I heard a lot of gunshots …… police came very fast, really fast, on motorcycles.”
Macron: We won’t back down
French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in Nice after the terror attack to inspect the scene of the incident, claimed that “it was (all) France that was attacked” but that “we will not back down”.
Macron said: “We are under attack because of our values, our love of freedom.” He said the Sentinelle anti-terrorist operation, which is deployed across France, would be increased from 3,000 to 7,000 soldiers.
In the Senate, Prime Minister Castel said that “the whole country is in an uproar” and that “after the freedom of expression …… freedom of belief and conscience is now also under attack”, but that “the Republic will not be weakened”.
In the wake of the attacks, the Office of the Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor has opened an investigation for “homicide or premeditated homicide in connection with terrorist crimes” and for “criminal association with terrorists”.
A series of suspected attacks in France
Avignon: On the same day as the terrorist attack on Nice, an incident of a similar nature was suspected in Avignon, another southern French city: at around 10 a.m. that morning, a man armed with a pistol threatened pedestrians in the street and was shot dead by police officers who had arrived on the scene.
According to the public prosecutor’s office in Avignon, the preliminary investigation revealed that the perpetrator, a 33-year-old Frenchman, born in France, with no known links to the Muslim faith, had not shouted “Allahu Akbar” and was not armed with a knife. The prosecution suspects that the perpetrator may have had mental problems.
Mediapart, a left-wing investigative news website, said the perpetrator was wearing a blue jacket with the slogan “Defend Europe,” which is a mask from the far-right group Génération Identitaire, while witnesses said he acted similarly to the Nazi salute.
Lyon: This morning, another man was arrested in the centre of Lyon with a 30 cm long knife. According to investigations, the man is an Afghan national and it is not yet known if the incident is linked to the Nice attack.
FAR FROM PARIS: A man was arrested near a church in Sartrouville, a far north-western suburb of Paris, at around 1pm today on suspicion of trying to imitate this morning’s Nice terror attack, reports Le Parisien. The man had revealed that he wanted to do things like Nice and his father called the police as soon as he left home, who immediately went to the vicinity of the church, arrested the man and recovered a knife from his car. The man has been released.
Saudi French Consulate: Separately, on the same day, a Saudi man was arrested in the Red Sea city of Jeddah after attacking a security guard at the French consulate with a “sharp instrument”.
A statement issued by the Makkah Regional Police said that the guard suffered “minor injuries” and that “legal action” was being taken against the perpetrators. The French Embassy said the guard was taken to hospital and his life was not in danger. “We appeal to our compatriots in Saudi Arabia to remain on high alert.”
France publishes details of foot-banning
These situations allow you to leave the house: go to work, shopping; go out to walk the dog, walk for air, 1 hour of personal exercise (within 1 km of home); go to school or take the kids to school, medical reasons to go out or take care of family.
Sports can only be solo sports such as running, gym closed.
Parks, forests, beaches open.
Public services are open, including post offices, bank counters, etc., but only those things that cannot be solved remotely, such as taking a driver’s license, can go out for business.
Can’t travel, including to your own holiday home. Cannot go to a friend or relative’s house.
Proof of going out
Proof of absence for all categories can be found on the government website or on the TousAntiCovid software.
If you are going out for work, you will need a certificate from your employer, and for civil servants or self-employed people, you will need a work document or other supporting documentation.
Going to school or picking up children requires the school to fill out a certificate.
Violators will be fined 135 euros.
Places that are open
Food shops; petrol station parking lots; laundries; newsagents and tobacconists; optical shops; and special shops such as computer shops.
The following additional establishments were added to the ban: wholesale markets; kindergartens and schools; extracurricular educational institutions; hotels, hostels and dormitories; all medical institutions; public transport; and take-away shops.
Places of religious worship are open but prohibited except for weddings for up to six people and funerals for up to 30 people. Exceptions may be made for flower shops and religious services on Halloween weekend.
Border Policy
The borders within the EU are open, the EU external borders are closed, unless a French resident can enter the EU. All entrants must have a negative certificate or be tested.
School opening rules
The school is open from kindergarten to high school; outside classrooms are also open; and all children over the age of 6 are required to wear masks in school. (If a child forgets to wear a mask, or if the family is in financial difficulties, the school will provide a mask); in high schools, the principal may decide on flexible measures to allow distance learning for pupils in difficulty.
The school needs to be organized so that activities are staggered as much as possible for students in different grades. School meals are served at a distance of 1 metre between students. Pupils in the same class or grade may eat lunch together, but cleaning and sanitizing need to be reinforced, as well as reminding children to wash their hands frequently and to respect social distances.
The University must offer distance learning, except for practical classes or classes that require the use of special teaching tools that can be taught in person. University examinations continue as usual.
The University canteen may continue to be developed, but only takeaways are available.
The library is open, but must be reserved in advance.
Business regulations and subsidies
Teleworking becomes mandatory.
State support for business will be even stronger than the first grounding. The Solidarity Fund, which helps companies to survive the “lockout”, will reach 6 billion euros this month.
Businesses with fewer than 50 employees who must close their doors will receive a monthly subsidy of up to 10,000 euros. Tourism, events, culture and sports companies, even if they are still operating, will also be eligible for this subsidy if they lose more than 50% of their turnover. In addition, all other businesses affected by the lockout can receive a subsidy of €1,500 per month, provided they have fewer than 50 employees and have a turnover loss of more than 50%.
If the landlord reduces the rent by a certain amount, he is entitled to a “Crédit d’Impôt” (tax deduction).
This month, all the economic measures of grounding will amount to 15 billion euros.
Culture: As long as there are no spectators, some cultural activities can continue. Creative artistic activities, such as photography, rehearsals, recordings, etc., will continue.
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