Condemning the Recent Terrorist Attacks in Paris

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROYCE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution. The resolution condemns the terrorist attack in France carried out by Islamist extremists earlier this month.

On January 7, two armed gunmen entered the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine in Paris, and, in a brutal, premeditated attack, killed 12 people and injured 11 others.

The following day, as we watched this play out on international media, their associate, Amedy Coulibaly, shot and killed a female police officer, and in the following days with the Kouachi brothers on the run, Coulibaly targeted a kosher supermarket where he shot and killed four Jewish shoppers and took multiple hostages. Later that day, courageous French police officers stormed the supermarket, killed the attacker, and freed the hostages.

There are no words that we can speak today, I think, that will comfort the families and the friends of the 17 people murdered in those terrorist attacks.

The victims included cartoonists and maintenance workers, police officers, grocery shoppers, Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

There are no words strong enough to condemn these terrorists and their radical jihadist ideology.

The Charlie Hebdo offices were attacked because their cartoons offended. The magazine's editor was specifically marked as a target for death by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's online newspaper magazine called Inspire under the not-so-subtle headline, ``A Bullet a Day Keeps the Infidel Away.''

Indeed, the Kouachi brothers called out the editor's name before they shot and killed him.
Mr. Speaker, the attack on Charlie Hebdo was an attack on free speech. The right to express ideas and opinions, even if they are unpopular or offensive, is a foundation for a free society--France's and ours. Frankly, the struggle of the Enlightenment has largely been a struggle against blasphemy laws going all of the way back to the foundation of this Republic and our First Amendment and Jefferson's concept of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

It was not the first time that this magazine was attacked by terrorists. And, unfortunately, it probably won't be the last time a media outlet like this is targeted. That is why this resolution resolves to uphold and defend the basic principle--free speech.

The grocery store victims were murdered because they were Jewish. In the days following, France stationed thousands of police officers to guard France's Jewish schools and synagogues in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Alarmingly, anti-Semitic forces are on the rise in France and in much of Europe.

This resolution puts the House on record as condemning in the strongest terms possible the Paris attacks and extends the sympathy of every American to those affected by the tragedy. It reiterates our support for France, America's sister republic, our oldest ally, and it calls upon all nations to join the global effort of fighting violent extremism.

This is a time to not just express sorrow for those killed but also a time to show resolve in the face of terror. Our intelligence-sharing with allies, already strong, will need to get much sharper; border checks improved; and coalition efforts to destroy ISIS will need to be stepped up. I urge all Members to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Poe from Texas, chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, for authoring this important resolution; but I also want to thank our ranking member, Eliot Engel of New York, for his support in bringing this resolution to the floor to ensure that we speak with one voice on issues of violent extremism and to ensure that we stand with our ally France at this difficult time.

Last week, many Members visited the Foreign Affairs Committee to sign a condolence book and greet the French Ambassador in person. Mr. Engel and I thanked them for their show of solidarity in this.

Mr. Speaker, the ultimate reality is that these attacks in Paris are indicative of a resurgent terrorist threat from radical Islamist extremists. The brothers were connected to al Qaeda in Yemen, a particularly active and deadly al Qaeda franchise. The kosher market gunman pledged his allegiance to ISIS, which now controls parts of Iraq and Syria and has specifically targeted Americans.

Up to 5,000 Europeans are believed now to have traveled to Syria to fight or get training. Whether from organized groups or returning foreign fighters or lone wolves, the terrorist threat is real, and it is growing.

These are not criminals united by happenstance but by a militant jihadi impulse united by ideology, by doctrine, and by practice, its adherents drawn all the way from Africa to Southeast Asia, from the Middle East to the Caucasus.

Unlike some of the rhetoric we have heard by some here in Washington, in every corner of the globe, terrorist groups are growing in number, and they are growing in strength. In Europe, France is at the front lines of a dangerous and growing ideology that has, again, demonstrated that it knows no bounds.

As we face an expanding and evolving threat, it is imperative that we unequivocally condemn attacks on freedom of speech, condemn attacks on religious pluralism, and reaffirm our resolve to fight extremism.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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