On the recordNovember 17, 2015
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the House's France Caucus, I rise to speak today with a heavy heart. The barbaric attacks by ISIL-affiliated extremists in Paris on Friday evening were a savage attempt to shake the foundations of the civilized world. The victims, their families, and their loved ones are in our thoughts and our hearts, and we send them our deepest condolences in this enormously difficult time. The indiscriminate brutality of last Friday's rampage has shocked the conscience of people around the world. But let us be clear, the forces of ISIL cannot extinguish the City of Light, and we will not reap the panic and fear that they are attempting to sow. The United States stands with France today, as we have done for more than two centuries, as a partner, a friend, and an ally. We will confront this evil together and, in the names of all of those who have suffered so mercilessly at the hands of ISIL, we will defeat it. Violence, intolerance, and repression are no match for liberty, equality, and fraternity--liberte, egalite, and fraternite. I stand today in solidarity with the people of France and the people of all nations who would choose freedom over tyranny.
