Trierweiler and Bruni join Paris rally for #BringBackOurGirls Two of France’s former first ladies, Valérie Trierweiler (left) and Carla Bruni (right), joined a Paris rally on Tuesday calling for the release of the more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist group Boko Haram last month. “Regardless of your name, your situation, your political point of view, your religion… everyone is invited,” Bruni, the wife of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, told RTL radio on Monday evening. She added that she was “very happy” that Trierweiler, President François Hollande’s former partner, was joining the rally. Soyons toutes et tous ensemble, mardi 13 mai, à 9 heures, au Trocadéro pour lutter contre la barbarie. #BringBackOurGirls — Valerie Trierweiler (@valtrier) May 11, 2014 Trierweiler confirmed her attendance with a tweet posted on her official Twitter account on Sunday. “Let’s join forces, Tuesday May 13 at 9am at Trocadéro, to fight against brutality,” she wrote, using the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag that has become the slogan for the global social network campaign calling for the girls’ release. Actress Julie Gayet, who recently made headlines for her affair with President Hollande, may also take part in the march. More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted from their secondary school in the village of Chibok in Nigeria’s Borno state on April 14. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the abductions and in a video broadcast last week threatened to sell the girls “on the market”. In a new video obtained by AFP on Monday, Boko Harams leader, Abubakar Shekau, said that the abducted schoolgirls had converted to Islam and would only be released if the government freed the groups militants from custody. The Nigerian government has dismissed the offer. In the interview with RTL, Bruni said she was outraged by the abductions, and said that the point of the Paris rally – organised by writer Amanda Sthers – was “for women who have been moved by this kidnapping to join forces”. “How can you sleep at night knowing what happened to these girls?” she asked, adding she hopes the militants behind the attack “will one day pay the price for all the pain they have caused these families and these young girls”. The United States said on Tuesday that it had begun flying manned missions over Nigeria as part of the search for the missing girls, while Nigerian police have offered a $300,000 reward for any credible information leading to their rescue.
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 17:43:45 +0000
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