Caroline Spelman, MP for the Meriden Constituency, has spoken of her shock and horror at the attacks that took place in and around Paris last week. Beginning on 7 January at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, and ending with a hostage situation and shoot-out at a Jewish supermarket on 9 January, the terror attacks shook France and the rest of the world. The violence led to the death of 17 victims.
Caroline commented, ‘I used to live in France so I have reached out to my former colleagues who are shell shocked by what has happened. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims. We must remain vigilant against terror attacks, and must remain committed to freedom of the press. Freedom of speech is the bedrock of our society.’
Following on from last week’s attacks, there has been public demonstrations by millions of people in Paris and around the world declaring commitment to freedom and tolerance. David Cameron has spoken of the review of UK security in light of the recent attacks; the UK terror threat level remains unchanged at "severe", meaning an attack is highly likely. There has been an increase in security measures at UK ports, border controls and at London's St Pancras station, with particular focus on goods and people travelling from France.