Nice, capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, where an alleged terrorist attack took place inside a church in the city centre on 29 October, 2020. (Wikipedia Commons)

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW  YORK –  The UN Secretary-General on Thursday strongly condemned a knife attack inside a French church in the southern French city of Nice, which reportedly left three worshippers dead.  A man armed with a knife attacked people inside a Nice’s Notre Dame Basilica  and killed three. A man and a woman died at the scene, while another woman died from her injuries. The attacker was injured after being shot by police and taken to hospital. French authorities are treating it as a terrorist incident.  In a statement released by his spokesperson,  Secretary-General António Guterres extended his condolences to the families of the victims, and reaffirmed “the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and the Government of France.”

The deadly attack in Nice, was not the only violent incident to take place on Thursday, in the wake of a strong reaction in France, led by President Macron, to the beheading of a teacher near Paris nearly two weeks ago. That attack was reportedly carried out in response to the re-publication of satirical caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed, in the Charlie Hebdo magazine. A man was shot dead on Thursday near the southern French city of Avignon, after reportedly threatening police with a handgun, and according to news reports, a guard outside the French consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was attacked and wounded. The suspect was detained.

‘Intolerable and utterly unjustifiable’ attacks, but mutual tolerance needed

In a statement issued in response to the killings in Nice, the senior UN official who oversees the protection of religious sites and advocates for religious tolerance, Miguel Aìngel Moratinos, strongly condemned the “barbaric attack”, stressing that any attacks targeting civilians, including worshippers, were “intolerable and utterly unjustifiable, whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed.”  But the High-Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), also noted that such “outrageous crimes should not dissuade us from working together to promote mutual respect and peace globally, as one humanity.”  He pointed out that the re-publication of the images has been viewed as “insulting and deeply offensive” by many Muslims, in a statement released on Wednesday.   “The High-Representative stresses that insulting religions and sacred religious symbols, provokes hatred and violent extremism leading to polarization and fragmentation of society”, said the statement. “He calls for mutual respect of all religions and beliefs and for fostering a culture of fraternity and peace.”