Solidarity with France after the attack on teacher: "We must stand together as a free and open Society"

Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and Frankfurter Buchmesse are shaken by the fatal attack on a teacher in France. According to media reports, the teacher from a suburb of Paris was initially threatened after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to his class on the subject of freedom of expression. Yesterday he was killed in the street in Paris.

Alexander Skipis, General Manager of the Börsenverein and Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair:

“From Frankfurter Buchmesse we send our sympathy and a token of solidarity to the relatives of the brutally murdered teacher, to the teachers and students of his school and to all citizens of France. This cruel and cowardly attack is also an attack on freedom of speech, on the values of our democracy - and therefore on all of us. It is shocking when someone who campaigns for the democratic education of students has to pay with his life for it. Nevertheless, we must not give up hope and courage: We must stand together as a free and open society, and work to protect our liberty."