FORUM

I have just been reading some stories in Le.Monde: some of the comments “below the lineâ€￾ were abject almost beyond belief (regrettably, only “almostâ€￾).

Apparently he and his wife were married (religiously) in the ICU: they were planning to do it in June. Even as an atheist, I found that very moving.

I hope we take the opportunity to show our solidarity with the hommage national: it might even make me sign up to Twitter.

A terrible, terrible tragedy. No words adequate to express my sadness for all the victims. An example in one horrendous and miserable afternoon of all that is evil in man against all that is good.

The long shadow of religious fanaticism once more falls on the fair land of the Languedoc. Once again religious zealots have blood on their hands. In this century it is Islamic fundamentalists, In the last century it was antisemitism. Jews were rounded up at Rivesaltes before expulsion to the Nazi death camps. Before that their ancestors faced state sponsored persecution from the Middle Ages onwards. And, never to be forgotten, the Albigensian crusade which killed thousands of Cathars in the name of the Catholic Church.

We mourn the innocent victims and honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others.

When will it ever end?

Gus