MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2020) Beijing has expressed hope that disturbing situation in France will be settled through dialogue to ensure mutual respect between "relevant parties", Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a briefing on Friday.
"China has always supported the strengthening of dialogue between different civilizations and religions, insisted on mutual respect and equal treatment of each other. We hope that the relevant parties will be able to reach a settlement through dialogue and consultations," Wenbin said.
His comments came on the heels of a deadly knife attack which occurred on Thursday morning in Notre-Dame church in French southern city of Nice. A 21-year old Tunisian man killed three people, while shouting "Allahu Akbar". He carried on with the radical slogans even as he was being disarmed by law enforcement. French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident an Islamist terror act when he arrived at the crime scene. The anti-terrorism department of the prosecutor's office has since opened a probe into the attack as the attacker remained hospitalized.
The assault was followed by two acts of violence on the same day, namely, a knife-stabbing attempt in the French city of Avignon and another one near French Consulate in Saudi Arabia. The incidents came amid nationwide dismay over the Islamic threat after the brutal killing of French history teacher Samuel Paty at the hands of a radicalized teen on October 16.
Macron pledged to step up efforts in fight against extremism and expressed support to manifestations of freedom of speech, including in form of religious caricatures, believed to be the reason behind Paty's killing..
