"They may harm us but they cannot defeat us", says Mariano Rajoy

Moncloa Palace

The President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, declared in his speech that "we all feel affected today by these brutal attacks in Paris".

He remarked that "there are no grounds to justify yesterday's atrocities, nor are there beliefs that can justify them. This is not a religious war, but a fight between civilisation and barbarism".

Mariano Rajoy said that "we all stand together in this fight and we will prevail. They may harm us, as they did yesterday, but they will not defeat us" because "they will never make us renounce our liberty, our rights and our way of life". "Violence and senselessness will not sway our common democratic convictions", he added.

The President of the Government reported that as soon as he heard of the attacks, he spoke with the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, to whom he conveyed Spain's support and solidarity, and that he will speak mid-morning with the President of the French Republic, François Hollande.

He disclosed that he had also spoken with the leaders of the main political parties and, in particular, with the Socialist leader, Pedro Sánchez - with whom he signed a State Pact at the start of the year against Jihadi terrorism - with Pablo Iglesias, with Albert Rivera and that he will also speak with Ignacio Fernández Toxo and Rosa Díez.

According to Mariano Rajoy, "the unity and cooperation of democrats is the only way to successfully tackle the terrorist threat", to which end he will call the aforesaid Pact against Jihadi Terrorism. The President of the Government also called the National Security Council on Saturday morning to analyse the situation created following the attacks in Paris.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs is closely following the situation of Spanish citizens that are in Paris in case any may have been affected by the attacks. To date, there is only news of one Spanish citizen having been injured, according to the President of the Government.

Conversation with François Hollande

As he announced in his speech, the President of the Government spoke with the President of the French Republic, François Hollande, at midday. Mariano Rajoy offered him the full support and collaboration of the Spanish Government and people, and reiterated to him that "we will fight together against terrorism; our common enemy". The National Intelligence Centre, the police and the Spanish public prosecution office are in talks with their French counterparts in order to act in a coordinated fashion.

Prior to his conversation with François Hollande and as announced, the President of the Government chaired a meeting of the National Security Council at Moncloa Palace to analyse the situation and assess the relevance of stepping up security measures.

For his part, and following the instructions of the President of the Government, the Minister for Home Affairs will call, at 1:15 pm, an emergency meeting with the members of the Tracking Committee of the State Pact against Jihadi Terrorism.

Finally, the President of the Government visited the French Embassy in Madrid to sign the Book of Condolences.