Imagine yourself at a concert to see your favorite band, or at football match watching your country play, you are happy and entertained. It a matter of seconds, everything changes.
On Friday, November 13th, multiple attacks occurred in Paris, France. The attacks took place at the Bataclan concert hall, La Belle Equipe cafe, Le Carillon restaurant, Le Petit Cambodge restaurant, and the Stade de France. The attacks consisted of both suicide bombings and gun attacks. The attack on Bataclan was by far the worst, where 100 hostages were taken hold at a concert. By the end of Friday night, the death toll was over 150 and France was in a State of Emergency. Eight attackers were killed, seven of them involved in suicide bombings. Although the attacks are over, France and the rest of the world are left in shock.
Early Saturday morning, the terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility calling it the "first of the storm." The message was translated in French, Arabic, and English, and distributed through supporters on Twitter.
The world grieved with France. President Obama claimed the attack was "an attack on humanity and all the values we share," while Twitter trended #PrayforParis and #ParisAttacks to keep people informed. French government officials urged citizens and people in the city to stay indoors. The U.S., British, and Irish Embassy numbers were posted online and on news stations so anyone can check to see if their friends and family are safe. All flights arriving and departing from France were cancelled.
In the wake of such a tragic event it is easy to spread hate and to point fingers. It is easy to blame certain religions or races. It easy to lose all hope in humanity because it is really hard to see the good in people. But I find that in times like this, the human race gives us just a sliver of hope and shows us there is still good in people.
Following the attacks, Facebook activated their Safe Check check in option. The Safe Check option lets people in unsafe areas check in to let their family and friends know they are safe. This feature has been around for about a year but it really became important on Friday after the attacks. Over on Twitter, the hashtag #PorteOuverte was started to help people stranded both in and out of France find a place to stay. Porte Ouverte means "open door" and the hashtag was used to help people find a safe place to stay until transportation resumed.
In the midst of chaos and disaster the world came together. All across the world buildings were lit up in honor of France and the ones that were lost. Candlelight vigils were held and people all over the world prayed for peace. We showed love and support to the country in pain. I think it is beautiful to see everyone come together, put their differences aside, and show compassion. Every day the news shows more stories about people dying and it seems terrorist attacks are happening more frequently, but there is still good. Terrorist groups like ISIS are not the strongest force out there. There are still people who are kind and loving. I think we all need to take a moment out of our day and be kind to someone. Put some love back into this world and maybe we can see the hate start to disappear.
My heart is heavy and it aches knowing there are families who won't get to see their loved ones again. In 2001, France said, "We are all Americans," and today we can say We are all French.
