Our view: Today’s leader column in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Paris

That sense of togetherness is further underpinned by a common history. Like our Gallic cousins, Channel Islanders lived through the pain of Nazi Occupation and endured the fear and suffering that comes with the evil suppression of basic freedoms.

This year, Jersey will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Liberation, a joyous day on 9 May 1945 when the yoke of fascist oppression was cast off.

Yesterday’s attack is a stark reminder of the importance of the sacrifices made by the men and women who fought and died to free Europe from the clutches of those who butchered the innocent because of what they said, wrote and drew, and because of what they believed.

That Jersey is a place which welcomes people of all colours and creeds is the best, lasting legacy of those who died for us a lifetime ago. But that is only one side of the coin.

People who come to live in western Europe must adhere to a contract which is non-negotiable. Whether in secular France or here in Jersey where we enjoy religious tolerance, freedom of expression is inviolable.

And those who think that it is right to suffocate that essential liberty by spreading terror and fear are not welcome.

Tonight, a vigil is being organised in the Royal Square to show Jersey’s support for the victims and for the freedom for which they were killed.

But beyond that, we can stand together with the cartoonists by carrying on as normal, by living and laughing in a free marketplace of ideas and opinions and by making sure that the pen is always mightier than the sword.

Hundreds will gather in town this evening to condemn an atrocity, but the vigil will also be a celebration of what is so special about a tolerant and free society.

Like hundreds of thousands of others around the globe, we too will say: ‘Je suis Charlie.’

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