Kerry condemns Paris attack, hails slain scribes as martyrs

Describing the slain journalists in a terrorist attack in Paris as "martyrs for liberty", US Secretary of State John Kerry today said the incident was part of a larger confrontation between civilisation and those who are opposed to a civilised world.
"I agree with the French imam who today called the slain journalists martyrs for liberty. Today's murders are part of a larger confrontation, not between civilisations -- no -- but between civilisation itself and those who are opposed to a civilised world," Kerry told reporters at the State Department headquarters.
"The murderers dare proclaim 'Charlie Hebdo is dead,' but make no mistake: They are wrong. Today, tomorrow, in Paris, in France, or across the world, the freedom of expression that this magazine, no matter what your feelings were about it, the freedom of expression that it represented is not able to be killed by this kind of act of terror," Kerry said.

"On the contrary; it will never be eradicated by any act of terror. What they don't understand -- what these people who do these things don't understand -- is they will only strengthen the commitment to that freedom and our commitment to a civilised world," Kerry said.
In his remarks during a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart, Kerry said no country knows better than France that freedom has a price, because France gave birth to democracy itself.
"France sparked so many revolutions of the human spirit, borne of freedom and of free expression, and that is what the extremists fear the most. They may wield weapons, but we in France and in the United States share a commitment to those who wield something that is far more powerful -- not just a pen, but a pen that represents an instrument of freedom, not fear," he said.

"Free expression and a free press are core values, they are universal values; principles that can be attacked but never eradicated, because brave and decent people around the world will never give in to the intimidation and the terror that those seeking to destroy those values employ," the Secretary of State said.