More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A Kent MP's daughter has relayed the atmosphere of fear and terror in Paris following today’s massacre at a magazine's office.
Student Verity Green, 21, the daughter of Ashford MP Damian Green, is on a work placement in the French capital.
He immediately contacted her when news of the mass shooting broke to make sure she was unharmed.
She was working safely several miles from the scene of the shootings.
Mr Green told Kent Online: “I texted her immediately. She is safe but says everyone is Paris is very frightened and this is all everyone is talking about.”
Verity, studying French and Italian at Bristol University, is working for a media distribution company in the capital’s inner suburbs.
This is miles from the massacre in the 11th arrondissement (district) in the east centre of Paris.
Police launched a mass hunt for at least two gunmen after 12 people were killed and seven people were injured in the attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine.
Soldiers have since also been drafted in to protect the capital’s major public areas.
Mr Green said: “The attack was very localised so Verity did not see any visible effects of it or the aftermath. She was able to carry on working as normally as possible.”
Ashford has a direct link to Paris, with trains daily going from the town’s International Station to Gare du Nord, in the 10th arrondissement, which neighbours the district of the shootings.
Eurostar today said it was continuing its services between London St Pancras, Ashford International as normal, saying its security measures were already tight in protecting passengers.
A spokesman said: “Our trains are not affected. There is no change to our services. We already operate the highest level of security.”
Mr Green urged anyone who had travelled from Ashford who were still in Paris to keep calm and bear with any inevitable disruption from the security alert.
He said: “Firstly Eurostar takes security incredibly seriously. But people still out there need to be wary because the gunmen are at large. They need keep calm, be sensible and do as the police ask them.”
Prime Minister David Cameron today tweeted a message condemning the murders as “sickening.” He vowed to stand with French in the fight against terror and defending freedom of the press.
French President Francois Hollande condemned the shootings as “exceptional barbarity.”
Mr Green said: “I would agreed that this attack was barbarity. This was disgusting. We all feel huge sympathy and solidarity with everyone on France.
“It reminds us of the permanent terrorist threat, indeed the House of Commons has been discussing the latest anti-terrorist bill yesterday and today.”
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