Commenting on the atrocious slaughter of the elderly parish
priest of the church of St Etienne in Rouen, north of Paris, French President,
Francois Hollande, said, “It is a
war”. There is nothing remarkable about
that, we might think. He, and others,
have said that sort of thing before. The
question is, does he (and the others) really mean it? Because, if he does, some interesting
questions arise. To begin with, what
are we to say of Adel Kermiche and Abdelmalek Petitjean who were jointly
responsible for cutting the throat of the 85 year-old priest and holding his
congregation hostage?
Are they combatants in that war?
