Mayor De Blasio In Paris To Honor Terror Attack Victims
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio was in Paris to pay his respects as well as denounce terrorism and anti-Semitism in the wake of recent terror attacks in France.
Seventeen people were killed earlier this month in attacks on the offices of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, a kosher supermarket and police in Paris.
PHOTOS: De Blasio In France
De Blasio joined the mayor of Paris in laying a wreath at the memorials outside the Charlie Hebdo office and kosher market. He also placed flowers at the site where an officer was shot and killed responding to the attacks.
"Seeing where people lost their lives because of who they were and what they thought … is a reminder that these values are always under threat," de Blasio said. "They have been throughout history. It's up to us to protect our values and to protect every community."
The mayor also attended closed-door meetings with French officials and Jewish leaders.
Mayor De Blasio In Paris To Honor Terror Attack Victims
De Blasio's trip comes amid intense security fears across Europe.
Multiple people have been arrested in several countries in anti-terror sweeps since the attacks in France.
The mayor of Paris expressed her deepest gratitude to de Blasio for making the trip, noting New York has experienced similar attacks, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported.
A reporter did ask de Blasio about distrust between minority communities and the NYPD, comparing it to the distrust many in France have of Muslims, Grymes reported.
He was asked what he has learned that he can pass along to Paris.
"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," de Blasio said.
De Blasio will return to New York City on Tuesday night.
He reportedly traveled with three aides and a security team. There is no word yet on the cost of the trip.
