November 14, 2015 — The International Rescue Committee today condemned the indiscriminate and inhumane attacks on the city of Paris on Friday, November 13, which have left over 125 people dead. The IRC stands with the people of France and the world in mourning for those who lost their lives. There is no justification for the wanton slaughter which reverberated across Paris yesterday and in Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday, and brought down an airliner over Sinai ten days ago. This terror echoes the horrors experienced by millions of civilians in Syria, Iraq and beyond in recent months and years.
The IRC has been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis — in the Middle East, in Europe and in advocating for resettlement of refugees into the U.S. We support effective security screening for refugees. Equally, we insist that yesterday's attacks should not be an excuse to undermine the rights of refugees in international law. Those fleeing violence and terror have already been victimized enough.