Yesterday’s events are one in the long and horrific history of atrocities committed by dogmatic religious extremists who live in fear of open criticism and free expression. Yet even in this darkness, the spirit of humanity can still be seen in the tens of thousands of people who poured into the streets of Paris and cities across Europe to stand in solidarity with the fallen journalists and officers. We must capture this resilience and respond with the same spirit as Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg following the 2011 shootings in Norway: “Our response is more democracy, more openness, and more humanity. We will answer hatred with love.”
I hope you will join us in plotting a more free and peaceful course for all of humanity into the future.
The BC Humanist Association welcomes you to join us in our work to build a meaningful diverse secular community.
-Sue Hughson, President, BC Humanist Association.
Here is a link to a statement on this atrocity by the British Humanist Association.
… And here is a link to the English translation of the first editorial from Charlie Hebdo after the massacre.