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French president to a grieving nation: “We will lead the fight, and it will be merciless”

French President François Hollande at the UN in September.
French President François Hollande at the UN in September.
French President François Hollande at the UN in September.
(Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)
Libby Nelson
Libby Nelson was Vox’s editorial director, politics and policy, leading coverage of how government action and inaction shape American life. Libby has more than a decade of policy journalism experience, including at Inside Higher Ed and Politico. She joined Vox in 2014.

French President François Hollande, in a brief speech near the Bataclan nightclub attacked Friday night, swore to take revenge on those who perpetrated what he termed a “barbaric act.”

“We wanted to be here, among all those who saw these atrocious things, to say that we will lead the fight, and it will be merciless,” he said.

“When terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities, they should be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France … a France that will not let itself be intimidated, even if today we are expressing endless emotion at this drama and this tragedy,” Hollande said. “This was an abomination because it was a barbaric act.”

Here are the full remarks, without translation. Even if you don’t speak French, the emotion in Hollande’s voice is clear:

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