Mattarella remembers Nice terror attack on 10th anniversary

President Sergio Mattarella on

Tuesday remembered the July 14, 2016 Bastille Day terror attack

in Nice that killed 86 people saying that unity is needed to

fight terrorism, and peaceful coexistence must prevail over

hatred.

"The victims of Nice belong to the common memory of our peoples,

because terrorism knows no borders or reasons; it is, at every

latitude, a threat to life and human freedom," he said in a

statement on the tenth anniversary of the attack by a

radicalised Tunisian man.

"Today, as yesterday, Italy renews its firm condemnation of all

forms of violence, intolerance, and fanaticism.

"The fight against terrorism requires unity, perseverance, and

mutual trust in the defense of democracy and the rule of law.

"In sympathetic remembrance of the victims of the Nice attack, I

hope that the memory of that painful event will strengthen our

shared commitment to ensuring that tolerance and peaceful

coexistence between peoples always prevail over hatred and the

rejection of others.

"On the tenth anniversary of the Nice attack, I wish to express,

on behalf of the Italian Republic and myself, my deepest

sympathy for the families of the victims and all those affected

by that barbaric act of violence, the fruit of fundamentalist

hatred.

"This act was all the more serious because it was cowardly

intended to undermine the values of the French Republic, on the

occasion of your national holiday.

"The memory of that tragedy, which also involved our fellow

citizens, remains alive in the conscience of all of us," the

Head of State concluded.

In Nice Tuesday night, among the many commemorative events

throughout France and before the World Cup semifinal between Les

Bleus and Spain, eighty-six blue beams, one for each victim,

will be projected into the Nice sky at 10:34 PM, the time when

Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel's 19-ton truck ended its infernal

journey, leaving a terrible trail of pain and death.

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