11/14/2015
Translation of François Hollande's speech tonight:
My dear countrymen: As I am expressing my thoughts at this moment, terrorist attacks on a scale never before seen are taking place in the Paris region. There are several dozen killed, there are many wounded. This is a horror.
On the basis of my decision, we have mobilized all possible forces so that the terrorists can be neutralized and that all districts in Paris that could be affected are made safe. I have also asked that there be military units in uniform mobilized at this moment in all parts of Paris to be sure that new terrorist attacks cannot take place.
I also convened the administrative council, they will be here in a few minutes. Two decisions will be made: A state of emergency will be declared, which means that certain places will be closed, traffic will be prohibited, and there can also be search warrants that can be issued in the entire Île de France. A state of emergency will be declared for the entirety of the territory of France. The second decision that I have made is the closing of the country’s borders. We must be able to reassure ourselves that nobody will be able to enter to commit whatever act it might be, and, at the same time, that those who were able to commit the crimes that, alas, were certified to have taken place, can be apprehended before they would to leave the country.
This is a terrible test that once again assails us. We know where it’s coming from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are. We must, in these moments so difficult—and I have thoughts for these very numerous victims, for their families, for the wounded—we must prove our compassion and our solidarity. But we must also prove our unity and composure. In the face of terror, France must be strong, she must be grand, and the authorities of the country must be firm. We will be.
We must also call each one to responsibility. What the terrorists want is to make us afraid, to make us give in to the cold. There truly is something to be afraid of, we have cold. But there is, in face of the cold, a nation that knows how to defend itself, that knows how to mobilize its forces, and that will once again be the victors over the terrorists.
Frenchwomen and Frenchmen, we have not finished the operations. There are still some that will be extremely difficult, that is, at this very moment, the security forces are making an assault, notably in a place in Paris. I am asking you here to keep all your confidence in all that we can do with the security forces to preserve the nation from terrorist acts. Long live the Republic! Long live France!
