COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Today, it feels like our lives will never be the same.
"As a nation, we have lived through a few hours that we will never forget," Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said on Sunday, following two separate shootings in Copenhagen that left two civilians dead and five police officers injured. "We have tasted the bitter taste of fear and powerlessness that the terrorists want us to experience."
Waking up this morning to learn that police had shot dead the suspected assailant felt like a relief of sorts. Not that you'd wish for anyone's death but knowing the suspect was no longer out there ended the fear that new attacks could be underway. We may have felt sheepish about it, but we breathed a sigh of relief.
Today police will continue to investigate the shooting at a synagogue in central Copenhagen and an earlier attack on a cafe where people had gathered to discuss art, blasphemy and freedom of expression in connection with the 25th anniversary of the fatwa against the author Salman Rushdie.
One participant at the free speech event was shot and killed at close range, and three police officers were wounded. The event included cartoonist Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who had previously been targeted for his drawings of the Prophet Muhammad. The French ambassador to Denmark was also at the event but was unhurt and tweeted that he was safe.
Still alive in the room— Frankrigs ambassadør (@francedk) February 14, 2015
The assailant fled by taxi and later struck at a synagogue in the historic city center, injuring two police officers standing guard and killing a young man tasked with ensuring that only invited guests got access to a celebration inside the synagogue.
(Jewish leaders in Copenhagen had asked the Justice Minister for increased protection for synagogues in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris a month ago.)
The attacker was later killed when police found him at the address where the taxi driver had dropped him off after the first shooting.
Politiet efterlyser denne mand i forbindelse med skyderiet i København tidligere i dag. #cphshooting pic.twitter.com/A2PyQ4LbO9— Politiken (@politiken) February 14, 2015
In Denmark, where no one carries guns and random gun violence is almost non-existent, the attacks felt like a fundamental blow.
Local politicians have called for a memorial on Monday evening at the cafe where the first shooting took place in an effort to signal to the world and each other that we will never succumb to the threat of violence; that we will not be cowed into giving up our democratic values and the right to express our views.
#cphshooting Photo says it all. By my good colleague Lars Krabbe, @jyllandsposten pic.twitter.com/bbjPNzEq97— Steffen Stubager (@StefStub) February 15, 2015
We’ve known for many years that Denmark was on a list; that we might be attacked one day. Ever since 2006, when violent protests erupted around the world after a Danish newspaper published a number of cartoons satirically depicting the Prophet Muhammad, Denmark has been a target, and the country on a heightened state of alert.
Before, one could walk into newspaper buildings or even Parliament, with a nod and a hello to the receptionist manning the desk at the entrance. Today, there are airport-like security screenings -- physical manifestations of our insecurity.
The 2011 attacks in neighboring Norway by Anders Breivik who killed 77 people -- many of them children -- showed us that hate has many faces. The homegrown far-right terrorist had, on the day of his mass shooting, published a manifesto describing Islam as the enemy and calling for the deportations of all Muslims from Europe.
And just this year, the violent attack on the French satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris once more reminded us what is at stake. There are now reports that police suspect the assailant in Saturday's attacks may have been inspired by the Paris attacks.
"We know that there are those who want to hurt countries such as Denmark," the Prime Minister said on Sunday. "They want to put an end to our freedom of speech, our tolerance and our religious equality. This is not a battle between Islam and the West. It is not a battle between Muslims and non-Muslims. It is the struggle between freedom of the individual and a dark ideology."
If it turns out that the attacker has a Middle East background, members the Danish Muslim community will find themselves, once again, having to defend themselves against the vitriol of certain political parties.
Today it feels like nothing will ever be the same. But I hope that we will stand together and not be drawn to hateful speech or actions. Unity is one of the values we fight for.