WJC President Ronald S. Lauder decries attack in Nice, urges international community to unite and 'rip this terrorism from its roots'

NEW YORK - World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder harshly condemned the terror attack that killed at least 73 people in Nice, France on Thursday night, when a truck plowed into a crowd of people gathered for Bastille Day celebrations.  “On behalf of world Jewry, I condemn this attack and extend my deepest condolences to the victims and to the people of France, who have sadly become so intimately familiar with the tragedy of terrorism." 

“The heinous attack carried out against scores of innocent people in Nice tonight was nothing short of an act of war and the world must treat it as such,” Lauder said. “We cannot allow this horrific reality to continue. The international community must unite and do everything in its power to eliminate and rip this terrorism from its roots, to free us from this prison of fear we have become trapped in.”

“These murderers have proven once again that nothing to them is sacred. All over the world, from Tel Aviv to Istanbul, Brussels to Orlando, Paris and now Nice, people are growing more and more fearful, terrified that they will be killed for something as simple as leaving their homes," said Lauder. "Those killed today were celebrating the very values of liberty and freedom so repugnant to these radical terrorists and their enablers.  We must not let the terrorists win. We must reclaim our right to live our lives freely and in peace.”