Paris grapples with how to move forward month after terror attacks

World Today

It’s been one month since the terror attacks in Paris sent shock waves through the international community. Now, the city is grappling with how to move forward. As religion tensions and security issues threaten the city’s cherished tradition of freedom of expression. CCTV’s Olly Barratt reported the story from Paris.

Kosher Falafels continued to change hands in the historically Jewish area of the Marais in Paris, but while it looked like business as usual, the area was on alert.

A nearby Synagogue was less open to visitors than normal. Directly opposite, soldiers stood guard infront of a Jewish school. Scenes like those add tensions to these bustling streets.

The increased security presence in those areas is designed to make people safer. It also serves as a continued reminder of the Paris attacks. Some are calling for more to be done to tackle root causes of antisemitism, rather than the effects of it.

“It cannot be a perspective to have a policeman with every Jew. It’s not possible, it’s not wishable [desirable],” Benjamin Abtan, President of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement said. “So it’s necessary, but only security measures are not sufficient because they produce more anxiety than they solve.”

The effects of the attacks are felt elsewhere, as well. One gallery found itself at the center of a freedom of expression row after it took down a piece of artwork deemed potentially offensive to Muslims. The local authority then asked for it to go back up, but the artist has resisted those calls.

Michel Tubiana, the Honorary President of the Human Rights League, is among those who believe the Paris attacks shouldn’t be allowed to stifle the discussion of issues surrounding religion and extremism.

“In order for us all to live together, then we must accept criticism and have an open debate – we can’t strangle that debate,” Tubia said.

After the Paris attacks, however, the secular state has found itself grappling with a series of complicated issues, many of which revolve around religion and how different religious groups can best live together.