THE Jamaican Government yesterday condemned the heartless and barbaric terrorist attacks against France as mourners across the globe reacted to the killings in Paris with tears and anger, but also with colourful shows of solidarity with France.

“We are heartbroken that the cowardly acts of terror appeared to target the youth of the city of Paris and have, in the process, claimed the lives of over 120 innocent men, women and children and left numerous others wounded,” Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said in a statement.

“We reiterate our utter condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and renew our commitment to fighting this scourge in co-operation with the international community and in defence of the universal values of life, liberty and peace for which Jamaica stands as a nation,” the Jamaican head of government added.

“We stand in solidarity with the Government and people of France and extend our deepest sympathy to the bereaved families,” she said.

Foreign Minister AJ Nicholson said that he had called French Ambassador to Jamaica Jean-Michel Despax “to convey the sincere condolences of the Government and people of Jamaica and to express our solidarity with the Government and people of France as they come to terms with the horrific tragedy and take steps to confront it”.

Nicholson said his ministry has not had any reports so far that there were Jamaican nationals among the many victims of this heinous deed.

He said they would continue to monitor the situation closely.

Monuments across the world, from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to One World Trade Center in New York, have been adorned with France’s blue, white and red colours, while the French national anthem was being sung in unlikely places.

Among politicians, there were loud calls for the world to ratchet up the fight against terrorism.

Yesterday, French prosecutor Francois Molins said that the co-ordinated gun-and-suicide bombing attacks carried out by three teams of extremists across Paris Friday night left 129 people dead and 352 injured.

Molins said 99 of the injured were in critical condition after the “act of barbarism”. He said the attackers in the Bataclan concert hall, where 89 people died, mentioned Syria and Iraq during their deadly rampage.

French President Francois Hollande has vowed that France will wage “merciless” war on the Islamic State group, after the jihadists claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Grief, alarm and resolve spread across Europe yesterday as officials raced to piece together information on the seven attackers. Officials said one was a young Frenchman known to the authorities. In addition, a Syrian passport found near the body of another attacker was linked to a man who entered the European Union through a Greek island last month.

Attackers launched gun attacks at Paris cafes, detonated suicide bombs near France’s national stadium and killed hostages inside a concert hall during a rock show — an attack on the heart of the pulsing City of Light.

Bouquets, candles and messages of condolence were laid at French embassies worldwide yesterday.

A Twitter campaign has begun encouraging notoriously tribal England football fans to join with French travelling supporters in singing La Marsellaise, France’s national anthem before the kick-off in the friendly match between both countries.

New York’s Metropolitan Opera, led by star tenor Placido Domingo, mourned the victims of the Paris attacks with an unscheduled performance of the French national anthem.

The European Union called for a minute’s silence to be held Monday for the victims of the attacks.

“We Europeans will all remember November 13th, 2015 as a European day of mourning,” it said.

In Madrid and Barcelona, hundreds stood for a minute’s silence outside city hall.

“We are reminded in this time of tragedy that the bonds of liberte, egalite, fraternite, are not just the values French people share, but we share,” said US President Barack Obama, citing France’s national motto.

French President Francois Hollande received calls from world leaders including Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

Queen Elizabeth II said she and her spouse Prince Philip were “deeply shocked”, and British Prime Minister David Cameron offered Britain’s help.

Indian Premier Narendra Modi called the attacks “anguishing and dreadful” and Hassan Rouhani of Iran condemned the attacks as “crimes against humanity”.

“We share the sadness and the pain of the French people,” said Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. “The Paris tragedy requires of us all to unite in the fight against extremism.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping said: “In these tragic times for the French people, I want… to condemn in the strongest ways this barbarous act.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that French policy had contributed to the “spread of terrorism” that culminated in the Paris attacks.

The outpouring of support for France generated massive amounts of activity on social media, with the hashtags #prayforparis and #jesuisparis going viral.

One user, @emilymiddlemas_ , wrote “I am so heart broken! All my love and prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrible attack, when will this stop.”

A “Peace for Paris” symbol, combining the city’s beloved Eiffel Tower with the peace sign of the 1960s has gone viral on the Internet.

The designer is a 32-year-old French graphic artist, Jean Jullien, who lives in London.

“Given the scale of the violence, the peace-and-love symbol was essential. It was then quite an easy thing to combine it with the Eiffel Tower,” he said.

— AFP and Jamaica Observer