France: 3 dead in knife attack outside church in Nice; Mayor calls it ‘terrorist attack’

At least three people have lost their lives and several left injured in a knife attack on October 29 inside a church in the southern French city of Nice, said police. There have also been unconfirmed reports in French media that at least one of the victims had been beheaded. Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, said that the attacker, who has been arrested, shouted “Allahu Akbar” while he was being restrained by police. Taking to Twitter, Estrosi has termed it a terrorist attack and called for an end to “fascism” in the country.

The attack occurred amid rising tension between France and Islamic countries over the recent beheading of a French teacher who showed cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in class. Macron said that the teacher, Samuel Paty, "was killed because Islamists want our future" but France would "not give up our cartoons", triggering anger in the Muslim world. 

Increasing tensions between France and Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Macron “needs treatment” for his mental health condition and criticised his attitude toward Islam and Muslims. Erdogan’s comment infuriated France, prompting it to recall its ambassador to Turkey for consultation. The situation further deteriorated as Charlie Hebdo carried a caricature of Erdogan on its front-page of the Wednesday edition in which the Turkish leader could be seen holding a drink and lifting up the skirt of a woman wearing a hijab. 

Read: France Urges Middle East To Stop Boycott Of French Products As Macron Defends Cartoons

Read: Pakistan Assembly Votes To Call Back Non-existent Envoy From France, Netizens In Splits

Turkey vowed to take “legal, diplomatic actions” over a cartoon of Erdogan published by French magazine, urging all “sensible European friends” to fight back against “primitive cultural racism, intellectual barrenness, and uncivilized discourse.” Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said in a statement that the cartoons are loathsome and devoid of any real sense of human decency.

Meanwhile, India has condemned the personal attacks launched against Macron due to his tough recent stance on terrorism. The Ministry of External Affairs said that these attacks are a “violation of the most basic standards of international discourse”. The MEA also condemned the brutal killing of the French teacher, saying that there is no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance. 

Read: Turkey Vows 'legal, Diplomatic Actions' Against Charlie Hebdo's Cartoon On Erdogan

Read: India Condemns 'personal Attacks' On Emmanuel Macron; Says 'nothing Can Justify Terrorism'

(Image: Twitter / @cestrosi)