The French Consul-General, Eric Berti (left), toasts with the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan during the French National Day reception
The ceremony organized last Friday evening by the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau to celebrate France’s National Day (Bastille Day) was marred by the shocking Nice terrorist attack that happened only a few hours before.
The event held at Sofitel Hotel began with a minute of silence to pay tribute to those killed in the attack, as well as their families and friends.
The speeches echoed the same mourning tone, with the French Consul-General, Eric Berti, paying tribute to the victims of the attack and adding that there were, at that moment, no report of Chinese citizens or residents from Macau or Hong Kong among the high number of victims.
“We know that there is a threat. We hoped that the fact that the Euro Cup went so well could mean that the threat was less present. We see that is not the case so we must keep our guards up and maintain a very high degree of vigilance. We are very sad for what happened,” Berti told TDM.
Representing the local government at the event, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, said that the Chief Executive and the government “expressed its deepest condolences to the people of France.”
In her speech, Secretary Chan also said “the Nice terror attack was a shock to the whole world,” reaffirming the position of the SAR government in their need to “take a firm stand against terrorism.”
In her official speech, the government official highlighted Macau’s “strong and friendly relations with France” and the many advances in mutual cooperation between the two nations in areas such as tourism, infrastructure, utilities and luxury products.
Chan also expressed her hopes “that the miniature Eiffel Tower in Macau will bring a sense of closeness to those French citizens residing here.”
The director of the Alliance Française de Macao (AF), Xavier Garnier, told the Times yesterday that Friday was in fact a sad day. “For us, it was not such a good thing to celebrate the French National day after learning about this terrible attack,” he said, classifying the attack as “even more moving” because it happened during a sensitive moment; during the National Day, during summer, and on the French Riviera, a highly renowned location for tourism and world-class events.
According to Garnier, the tragic occurrence is evidence that “this is not only about French people, it [was] aimed also at the tourists coming from many different countries, it is an international [attack].”
The AF director reaffirmed that “the problem is not French, the problem is international and the victims are also international. These problems concern everyone and everywhere. I think France is a target because it is more visible. We can’t even speak about a problem of security, as Nice is one of the safest cities in the world. I think the location was chosen to get international impact.”
“Of course we are worried and people are worried in France too because that’s the first time the attacks happened in the ‘Provence’ which clearly shows that absolutely anywhere can be the next target,” Garnier remarked, adding that “this is a worldwide war. I hope all the countries [and their leaders] can strengthen together to fight this barbarity of terrorism, so that the lives of these people were not lost in vain.”
ggct issues travel security alert
The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) issued a travel security alert for France on Friday. The GGCT informed that although there are no residents affected by the events of the night of July 14 at the “Promenade des Anglais” in the city of Nice, it will continue to closely monitor the latest developments. In addition, they have advised Macau residents who intend to travel to France to follow the situation closely, critically assess the security risks and cautiously consider their travel plans. As for residents already in France, the GGCT advises them to take security precautions to ensure their personal safety.
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