Transcript: Mayor de Blasio and Mayor Hidalgo Deliver Remarks and Hold Media Availability at Place De La Republique

January 20, 2015

[Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaks in French]

Translator: First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and my thanks to Bill de Blasio, who made this express trip to Paris. I’m very, very moved by his decision to visit our city, as well as the different elected representatives, from the district and from Paris, who are present here today. He’s here to express his affection and I would like [inaudible] to show my deepest gratitude for his support and his solidarity in these difficult circumstances.

Bill de Blasio was the first person who called just after the events, as soon as he heard about the news. This was very moving for me.

And Bill de Blasio is a progressive mayor with whom I always enjoy working. Our two cities are sister cities –m we have been working together for a long time. We are sharing the same values. So it’s particularly meaningful for us that he’s present with us today here. New York City and the population of New York has also experienced this terrible type of attacks. And this has made the people of New York stronger. And this is what he came to say to us today.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you so much. Merci beaucoup. It is an honor to be here in solidarity with the people of Paris and the people of France, and it's also an honor to be with someone I feel is a sister, a friend, someone who we share together so many values and so many of the same hopes for our cities, and Paris and New York have walked the same path in so many ways. We have borne the brunt of terror, and we have, over many years, shown the world an example – each in our own way – of tolerance and inclusion, of a pluralistic society, a multicultural society. This is the way of the future, and in the United States, we borrow a phrase from our foundational documents, in which there is the idea that we must create a more perfect union. And the founding of the United States was the understanding that it wasn't a completed task at the beginning, it was the work of each generation to build upon. 

Creating a more perfect union in modern society means embracing every kind of people – every faith, every ethnicity, every community. In moments of pain like this, that idea feels farther away, but it's the idea we have to recommit ourselves to. And the whole world watched with tremendous admiration as the people of Paris gathered at that rally on Sunday, saying to the world that this pain would not stop people from living up to their values, and reaching for something greater. I think there's been a love and an appreciation for Paris in New York and all over the world, but that love grew deeper in these last days. And seeing the site of these tragedies, being outside of Charlie Hebdo, being outside of Hyper Cacher – seeing where people lost their lives because of who they were and what they thought, because they happened to be Jewish, because they were devoted to their faith, or because they happened to believe in the freedom of speech – is a reminder that these values are always under threat. They have been throughout history. It's up to us to protect our values, and to protect every community. Every community belongs in a democratic society. So I just want the mayor to know, and the people of Paris to know, that the people of New York stand with you in solidarity. 

[Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaks in French]

Question: Mayor de Blasio, this question is for you. New York has suffered with division, mistrust, between the police community and the minority community, similar to how many in France feel distrust towards the Muslim community, and I'm just wondering – critics, some critics have blamed you for this, and have you learned from the New York – what have you learned from the situation in New York that you can pass on to Paris, and do you see a comparison between the two.

Mayor: I've talked to the mayor about the history of New York City, as a place with many, many cultures, that had to, over years, work to bring the different communities together. And New York City has a lot to be proud of – of people of all different faiths, every day finding some common ground, and the ability to peacefully coexist. This is work that has to go on each and every day. And I think equally, the work of bringing all of our communities closer to the police, and the police to all of our communities, is work that has to go on every day. I think the parallel here is, in this beautiful city, this historically pluralistic city, that work is continuing as well. And what I hope we can offer in New York is a positive example of the fact that ultimately, if you create a society with openness to all, it tends to push away the extremes. It tends to minimize the extremes, if you create a society of greater inclusion. That's what we've endeavored to do in New York, and I think it's work that will ultimately succeed.

Question: Hi, could you elaborate – could you elaborate a little bit more on the relationship between Paris and New York, as it existed before the attacks, and how, if at all, it changes afterwards?

Mayor: I think it's deeper now. I think this attack – like 9/11 – is a turning point moment for Paris. And 9/11 was a turning point moment for us. Every one of us who was in New York that day remembers where we were, and remembers the way it changed our lives. I think for the people of Paris, these attacks had that same impact. And it challenges us to find a way forward. It's why, in the case of Paris, I think there was such admiration for the way people came together so resolutely in the name of freedom, in the name of freedom of expression, and with a sense of unity. It could have been a moment of disunity. It became a moment of unity. That was true in New York as well. So, I think there's a very powerful historical commonality between the cities, but these tragedies have shown that, in fact, we are even closer than we realize. 

[Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaks in French]

Translator: What we have been saying during these days is that we will not be able to live anymore as we used to. Things will be different after these terrorist attacks that were aimed at bringing down our values, and all the things that bring us together. They were an attack against our secular society – it was an attack against our police forces, it was an attack against Jews. And it's our role as mayors to work, of course, on issues related to security to ensure the safety of our populations, and we must be the leaders. We must be in the forefront of this fight, especially when we are mayors of such large and cosmopolitan cities as Paris and New York. Our cities must be cities of inclusion, and we must work together to avoid all types of stigmatization of keeping some people on the sidelines. Just after the events that took place recently, there has been a certain number of generalizations relating to Muslims, equaling all Muslims with these terrorists that killed so many people. They were not – they were completely different people. Those who killed were respecting no law. They were not respecting any faith. They were just killers. They were just trying to kill people. As mayors, we must work in depth – not only during the period of emergency. This is not the first meeting we've had together with Bill de Blasio. So we are aiming to work together, to go on working together, on issues related to culture, and to education, to trying to establish connections with artists – to achieve cities that are more inclusive.

[Reporter asks question in French]

[Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaks in French]

Translator: So, Paris is about to become a sort of symbol, a victim of terrorism, as was New York a few years ago. So, maybe this might have some consequences on the organization of some major events. I'm thinking, among others, of the Universal Exhibition.

[Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaks in French]

Translator: [inaudible] the day after the tragedy, after a huge mobilization of the people, and in the period of when we [inaudible] a lot of questions, as politicians, one message that [inaudible] population [inaudible], remain dignified. [inaudible] must have a very respectful attitude. We must be up to this huge movement that took place just after the terrorist attacks. So, we have a lot of questions to which we don't have the answers. The first one, that we have to make a diagnosis – a diagnosis in why did that happen, what have we done that didn't work, so that we arrive at that point. And the answers are not ready. We have to find them. And they will probably be based on education, and trying to find a way of living better together. We have a motto in France – Liberté, égalité, fraternité. we hear a lot about freedom, but not so much about brotherhood. So this is something we must work on, perhaps try to establish more friendly relationships with our fellow people. So, we have to work very much in depth about all these issues. As I said before, nothing will be like it was before the attacks, and we must absolutely change a wide range of things, and the politicians have a very important role to play. It's our responsibility. Citizens, also, have a play to part. They must get involved in different action. They perhaps have to be – to do some volunteer work, to work with NGOs, and so on – to pass on this message that was very clear in Paris, and understood the world over – this message of a community that gets together. This means that, while Paris has always been associated with the notions and freedom and universal – universality, this creates a very important duty for us, and at that point, maybe these events will have an impact, of course, on future major international events. But it's too early to ask the question.

[Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaks in French]