Everyone is Charlie Hebdo

Hi there!

I think that we have all heard of Paris. Not Paris, the city of love, but Paris, the city of Charlie Hebdo. When I heard what had happened, I was shocked. I had never imagined a form - any form - of terrorism happening so close to home.

But it came even closer.



A couple of nights ago, me and my mother sat down on the couch for the eight o'clock news. The screen did not show the news, but it's logo with the text: please wait. It stayed like that for about forty-five minutes, when suddenly a man came on. He was asking for airtime. He was smart looking, but armed. He was walking up and down the studio, waiting to hear from his mates wether he actually was on tv or not. Well, he was. There seemed to be someone in there with him. I had completely frozen. All I could look at was the gun with the silencer in his hand. I can tell you, I think it is the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. Now of course, this is not at all like what happened in Paris, but it got worse.
A couple of minutes later, pictures of a letter appeared all over the internet. The letter turned out to be from the 'man with the gun'. He had given it to the doorman, and it said not to alarm anybody, to bring him to a studio and to give him ten minutes airtime. It said that he had mates all over the country. That there were radioactive bombs. And if they didn't give him airtime, they would have to act. It was only when I had read that, I realised what had been going on. That it was more than just that one man. As you can imagine, it didn't make me feel any better.

I didn't sleep that night. I was terrified. Even the smallest sound made me jump. It made me realise that terrorism isn't just something that happens in the middle-East. But that it is something that can happen anywhere. Anytime. To anyone.
It made me appreciate the things I have. It also made me think about the world I live in. How is it possible that we, as humans, do such things to each other? Can we not just live our lives without having to kill each other? I might be naïve, but I believe it's possible.

What do you think when you hear about things like this happening all over the world?

Love,
Rosaly