On November 13, Islamic terrorists conducted a series of coordinated attacks in the French capital, killing 130 people and injuring over 360, many critically. The Islamic State jihadist group (ISIL, or Daesh in Arabic), outlawed in Russia and many other countries, claimed responsibility for the attack. The tragedy triggered fears of extremists entering Europe disguised as refugees.
"Secularism allows us to accept our differences and live together. We have a lot of mixed marriages. Although, sometimes, migration creates social tensions, it contributes to our economic development and our cultural life. France and Europe will remain open to legal migrants," he wrote on Facebook.
Following the Paris attacks, French President Francois Hollande said that France remains committed to receiving some 30,000 refugees over the next two years as part of the EU mandatory quota system to relocate 160,000 refugees residing in Italy, Greece and Hungary throughout the bloc's member states.