In a bold speech at the Château of Versailles a day after launching a series of retaliatory airstrikes in Raqqa, Syria, French President Francois Hollande declared in a joint session of Parliament on Monday that "France is at war," according to The New York Times.
Far from being demoralized by the brutal terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, the French president pointed out that the France was targeted because it is a "country of freedom," and that it was the "homeland of human rights."
"Our democracy has prevailed over much more formidable opponents than these cowardly assassins. Our Republic is not within the reach of despicable killers," he said.
In response to the terrorist attacks that claimed 129 lives and injured 350, Hollande urged French lawmakers to approve a three-month extension to the country's state of emergency, which gives authorities to strip the citizenship of French-born terrorists, reports BBC News.
He also urged lawmakers to approve the addition of 5,000 more positions to the country's paramilitary force. The president also emphasized that he would not cut France's defense budget until at least 2019.
Despite the declaration, however, the French president was careful to state that France is not waging war on Syria, nor is the country waging war on Islam. Rather, it was waging war against the Islamic State alone, according to CNN.
"We are not committed to a war of civilizations, because these assassins don't represent any civilization. We are in a war against terrorism, jihadism, which threatens the whole world," Hollande said.
In his speech, the French president was clear in his declaration: ISIS just made a very dangerous enemy out of France.
"Terrorism will not destroy France, because France will destroy it," he said.
For more news on the Paris attacks, click here.
