Minutes of silence around Catalonia in solidarity for attack on "Charlie Hebdo"

Artur Mas and Xavier Trias lead mourning in Barcelona’s Plaça de Sant Jaume

Europa Press

2 min

Mas i Trias han participat aquest dijous al minut de silenci a la plaça Sant Jaume per a les víctimes de l'atemptat a 'Charlie Hebdo' / EFE

BarcelonaThe president of the Generalitat, Artur Mas, and the mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, led a minute of silence at 12:00 Thursday for the terrorist attack on the satirical French magazine "Charlie Hebdo". The event was attended by Minister of the Interior Ramon Espadaler, Government Spokesman Francesc Homs, representatives of City Hall, and the director of the Mossos d’Esquadra (Police Force), Albert Batlle.

Trias, who sent a letter of condolence to the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, explained that Barcelona will organize an event together with the French Consulate. The mayor called for calm and assured that "there are no reasons to feel that there is a special situation at the moment".

He also called for maintaining peaceful coexistence with people from different backgrounds: "We ask that you look with affection and sympathy on the people we have here from other places, who are seeking to live with us in peace and tranquility".

Parliament

Members of Parliament also came together this Thursday before the doors of the Catalan chamber to observe a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the terrorist attack. Attendees included Anna Simó (ERC), vice-president of the Parliament; representatives Jordi Turull, Benet Maimi and Ferran Falcó (CiU); Matías Alonso and Carina Mejías (C’s); Oriol Junqueras, Marta Rovira and Gemma Calvet (ERC); Marina Geli and Montserrat Capdevila (PSC), Dolors Camats (ICV-EUiA), and Juan Milián (PP), among others.

This was an informal initiative of those representatives who were present on Wednesday in the Catalan Chamber, as the Parliament is not officially in session until 15 January.

Mayors

Councils such as those in Tarragona, Lleida, Girona, Terrassa, Sabadell, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and El Vendrell (Tarragona), among others, also observed a moment of silence in the streets to condemn the killings and offer condolences to the French people.

The Girona Provincial Council, the Regional Council of the Valles Occidental, and the Delegation of the Generalitat in Tarragona also organized similar events.