On the recordJanuary 12, 2015
later today Members of the Senate family will have two opportunities to express our solidarity with the people of France in their hour of grief and to reaffirm our commitment to the principles of freedom and tolerance--values that have bound our nations together since the creation of the United States and the French Republic. In a short while the Senate will consider a resolution condemning the series of terrorist attacks that have shaken France, starting with the attack on the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and ending with a siege Friday at a kosher supermarket in Paris. Our resolution expresses our condolences to the families of the victims and our solidarity with the people of France. It also expresses our deep commitment to the universal right of freedom of expression--a freedom for which the writers and artists of Charlie Hebdo gave their lives. I am honored to lead this resolution, along with Senators Murphy of Connecticut and Johnson of Wisconsin. Later this afternoon Senators and their staffs will have an opportunity to sign a condolence book expressing their sympathy and solidarity to the people of France. The book will be outside the Senate Foreign Relations Committee room on the first floor of the Capitol. In memory of the victims, we will welcome the French Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Gerard Araud, in the committee room at 4:15 p.m.…
