Four people shot dead in Tunisia synagogue attack
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Well, I'm joined now by journalist Simon Speakman-Cordell,
00:04 who can tell us a bit more on this story.
00:06 He's in Tunisia.
00:07 Simon, can you give us an update on what's happening,
00:11 what reaction to these killings we have?
00:14 - Well, the country is still, I think,
00:17 getting used to the news.
00:19 Many people here had thought, you know,
00:21 this sort of story and these sort of attacks
00:23 were long behind us.
00:25 As far as we know, it was that police officer.
00:27 Now, he killed his colleague at the naval base,
00:31 which is in Aghir,
00:32 and then traveled 16 kilometers to the synagogue.
00:37 Now, that account kind of, you know,
00:39 knocks the rumor that it was a brawl
00:42 between two colleagues into a top hat,
00:44 because you don't travel 16 kilometers.
00:47 It is interesting, though,
00:49 that the government has yet to declare this
00:51 a terrorist attack.
00:53 They, at the moment, are referring to it
00:55 as a cowardly attack.
00:57 But they're investigating,
00:59 and I imagine that we will know more shortly.
01:01 - There was, of course,
01:04 this Al-Qaeda suicide bombing back in 2002.
01:08 And after that, security was really tightened up.
01:11 The Jewish community felt extremely shaken and worried.
01:15 It also had an impact on tourism.
01:17 What went wrong that security was too lax,
01:22 and this happened?
01:23 - Well, we know that the incident happened
01:26 very late at night.
01:27 The festival was largely over.
01:29 By pure happenstance,
01:31 the former minister of tourism, a Jew,
01:34 was in the synagogue during the attack.
01:37 And he described that there were very few people there.
01:39 I mean, there obviously were, you know,
01:40 worshippers hanging around, milling outside,
01:42 but not the numbers that you normally see at Al-Ghriba.
01:46 It's pure coincidence I'm not there myself.
01:49 It was something I go to most years.
01:52 And it really does get busy.
01:54 There's the big sort of Madrid Square there,
01:57 and then an alley coming down,
01:58 and it's filled with people celebrating,
02:01 excuse me, I'm very sorry,
02:02 and enjoying the festival.
02:05 So had it happened earlier in the day,
02:06 fatalities would be significantly higher.
02:09 - Can you tell us a little bit about
02:12 the Jewish community there in Djerba?
02:15 What numbers of people are we talking about?
02:18 And I gather there's been a bit of a renaissance,
02:21 more people coming back after leaving the area earlier on,
02:26 coming back to resettle in Djerba.
02:28 This is gonna have a big impact.
02:30 - It certainly is, yes.
02:32 I mean, it's important to stress
02:34 we don't know everything yet,
02:36 but we do know that after the Second World War,
02:39 you know, the Jewish population of Tunisia
02:41 was significant and thriving.
02:43 We had many in Maghreb, which is near here,
02:46 a large number on Djerba.
02:49 Now, over the last years, those numbers have dwindled.
02:52 And Djerba now, I think there aren't any Jews
02:56 that I know of, but there's around 1,500,
02:59 as your reporter said, on Djerba.
03:02 They live in a very distinct part of town,
03:05 they have their own schools,
03:06 but I visited them a number of times,
03:09 they're very friendly,
03:10 and they're quite open if you approach them correctly.
03:13 Now, you're right, there were people coming back,
03:16 and numbers were looking up.
03:18 Now, once we know the cause of the attack,
03:21 that's open to doubt.
03:22 - Okay, well, we'll leave it there.
03:24 Thank you, thank you very much,
03:25 Simon Speakman-Cordell there,
03:27 speaking to us from Tunisia on that incident.