Francia had spent weeks preparing for this painful moment and had to turn the page at the same time. Years later, Paris is reliving memories of the November 13, 2015 attacks, in which 132 people were killed in coordinated attacks in various scenarios. In July this year, President Emmanuel Macron quietly visited six locations since 11:30 a.m. and paid his respects to the victims at two key points. One is the Bataclan room, where we stopped after 3pm, the other is a memorial dedicated to the victims, and in the afternoon speeches will be given at a ceremony organized by the same author as the Olympics.
The first phase of the celebrations saw officials at the time, including then-President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, and Interior Minister Manuel Valls, allowed to return to the scene of the massacre. They were accompanied by the president of the victims’ organization, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris (she was at the time and one of the first to arrive at the concert hall that night), and various police groups that formed part of the assault force.
On November 13, 2015, between 21:20 on Friday and 01:40 on Saturday, three new special forces armed with automatic weapons and explosive belts acted in unison, killing 130 people and leaving a legacy of 350. 90 people lost their lives at the Bataclan Concert Hall. There are a further 39 in several terraces and restaurants in the 10th and 11th arrondissements of Paris. There’s another one at the Stade de France. Perhaps the most forgotten of the victims. Just then, the mayor of Saint-Denis declared in his speech that he wanted all Europeans to think. “The terrorist is lost.”
The city has recovered. In places like the Bataclan, where 90 people were killed, life continues, concerts are still being planned, and things are returning to normal. This is part of a message to give a voice to the victims who gathered in Paris on the anniversary of the attacks, returning to the sites of the tragedies and gathering in organizations to keep the memory alive. But part of that path is already there. One of them, Life for Paris, decided to disband. “We don’t want to become victims of professionals,” chairman Arthur Denouveau explains to this newspaper.
Not everyone can see it the same way. “Since that November 13th, there has been a void that cannot be filled. My father loves life,” said Sophie Diaz, daughter of Manuel Diaz, the first victim of the mortal journey, at the entrance to the Estadio de Francia, the first stop of the celebrations. “They say that after 10 years it goes from page to page, but the absence is immeasurable. shock It remains intact and our incomprehension continues,” he added.
The Islamic State group, which still controlled cities such as Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, claimed the attack hours later. This, they announced, was a reaction to France’s participation in the United Nations, which attacked France’s position in the Arab countries. A few years later, the Caliphate was overthrown and the threat of terrorism was grounded in Europe. However, the threat and fear have not completely disappeared in France.
Among the sites of the massacre, Paris has lit up some of its symbols, including the Eiffel Tower and the monument at Place de la Repubblica, where thousands of people have gathered in recent days to pay their respects to the victims.
The culmination of the commemoration will take place at 18,000. Inauguration of the memorial garden at 13-N behind the Paris City Council. There will be speeches by President Macron, Mayor Hidalgo, Philippe Duperron, Asociación 13once15 and De Nouveau of Life For Paris.
About The Author
