President Armengol led a minute's silence at noon today in front of the Consolat de Mar, as the people of Majorca and the Balearics expressed their horror at events in Paris on Friday night. Voicing her own support for the French people, she said that terrorists "will not defeat democracy".
"It was a night of pain and terror, of awful violence that has no explanation in a country which has made tolerance the model of its being, as is the case in France."
With flags at half mast outside the regional government's headquarters, the president relayed a message of support to the families of victims who had lost their lives during the terrorist attacks and to all those "who are suffering so much pain". To the French consul in Palma, Michel Magnier, she affirmed again that terrorism will not destroy democracy and will not "defeat values which are ones that the Balearics share with the people of France".
M. Magnier thanked the people of the Balearics for their shows of support in appreciating that "we are not alone". Speaking to the media following the minute's silence attended by more than a hundred people, the French consul sought to draw positivity from the "solidarity of the Balearic people", despite an attack "on our Western values" which had taken place "only ten months after the attacks on 'Charlie Hebdo' ".
"Today it is France. Another day and it could be another country," observed M. Magnier, who called for there to be calmness. "In France, these are very difficult moments," he noted. Faced with these, the French president, François Hollande, had taken "exceptional measures".
The consul and President Armengol had met before the minute's silence, and during this meeting they had spoken of finding "new ways for co-operation and collaboration" for "cultural education for our young people" so that they can "know that the world is more global". He stressed a positive message in echoing the words of the president: "They will not defeat us. We must fight them. We will work by looking to the future with a smile".
From other sectors of political life, there were strong messages of condemnation and of support. The Council of Majorca sent its "deepest condolences to the victims" and expressed "solidarity with the French people". The president of the Council, Miquel Ensenyat, in stating a message of support on behalf of the citizens of Majorca to the French people, condemned the "barbarism".
Solidarity with France and the French people, on account of "the terrorist slaughter", was expressed by Palma Town Hall, the mayor, José Hila, giving a message of "no to terror" on social media in adding his voice of solidarity with Paris and its citizens.