Irish trade unions have expressed solidarity with the people of France following last week’s terrorist attacks at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris, which left 17 people dead.

In a letter to the French ambassador, ICTU general secretary David Begg expressed condolences on behalf of Irish trade unions. “It was with deep shock that we watched the events in Paris unfold. This brutal attack on people as they went about their daily work was a source of deep distress to us, even more so as it became clear that they had been attacked simply because of the work they did” he said.

Union leaders were joined by politicians, the French ambassador and 400 others in a ceremony at Dublin Castle last Saturday. Irish NUJ Chairman Gerry Curran spoke of the attacks on reporters all over the world who face danger while carrying out their job.

An NUJ delegation travelled to Paris to take part in the biggest rally in French history last Sunday, and walked with French trade unions and families of the victims.