A series of Islamic State terrorist attacks throughout Paris killed 129 individuals and injured over 350 others Friday evening. President François Hollande declared a state of national emergency and three days of mourning.
A friend of mine checked in “Safe” on Facebook around 6 p.m. (Eastern time) on Friday night when I found out about the Parisian attacks. Later that evening, I could see the Empire State building glisten white, blue, and red. There was not much available news yet, but I posted a peace sign with the Eiffel Tower in center, (courtesy of Jean Jullien) captioned simply #PrayforParis. Within hours, my entire feed filled with Paris tributes. In these difficult moments, humanity proves sensible as we all pray for Paris together.
“I thought they were firecrackers,” sports journalist Charles Dubus recalls. He, along with thousands of soccer fans, including the president, was watching a match between France and Germany when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb at the gates of Stade de France at 9:20 p.m. Hollande immediately evacuated, while the game continued into its second half without the teams or the fans knowing about the attack. Another bomb went off near the stadium at 9:30 p.m. and a third one at 9:53 p.m.
During the game, everything proceeded with the best football etiquette: Players celebrated goals and fan cheered, sickening as an afterthought. Only officials, journalists, and coaches knew the reality, yet spoke none of that with their respective teams for reasons of precaution.
The game ended in a 2-0, favoring the French, but no one had won Friday night. Dubus recalls receiving a lot of messages and a call from his crying mother who had heard the news and knew that he had been at the stadium covering the game.
“The evacuation was hectic, I was caught in a stampede,” Dubus recounts. “Everyone was afraid that a shooter was there.” Video footage of French fans singing the national anthem as they evacuated spread throughout social media.
The two teams were each caught by "Breaking News" screens as they exited the field. Four restaurant shootings took place, killing 49 people. At 9:40 three gunmen opened fire at Le Bataclan concert hall. French football player Antoine Griezmann anxiously tried to learn about his sister, who had gone to the concert. She was one of the fortunate to have escaped. The gunmen, one of whom was later identified as a Syrian refugee registered in Greece, killed 89 individuals and took hostages. Crimes ceased at 12:20 a.m. on Saturday morning when authorities stormed the concert hall.
"At the beginning we did not understand what was happening,” recalls another Parisian. “Then we realized that there were lots of shootings a the same time in different places. And suddenly everyone was sent SMS whether people were OK.” The evening of frenzy ticked off the entire city. Preceded by Charlie Hebdo magazine shootings in January, Paris cannot settle in peace as ISIS claws into a vaster global reach inflicting terror on foreign lands.
The six attacks and the possibility of Islamic State involvement further instill fear and tension within Europe, already anxious over jihadists radicalized by the conflicts in Syria and elsewhere.
“What do I think now? I am filled with hate,” Dubus responds regarding the terrorists. “I have not slept all night, I cried from hatred.” With a second attack on Paris this year, citizens with radical emotions can be understood, for they faced ISIS firsthand. While the world commiserates with Paris once again, this weekend’s carnage set off alarms for major actions necessary to fight the Islamic State immediately.
The manhunt for those responsible for the attacks will continue throughout Europe as an investigation is underway. The Climate Change conference will be still held in Paris this December, thus authorities must do everything within their power to secure a safer environment.
Paris awaits response from Charlie Hebdo magazine, known for their satirical caricatures.
#PrayersforParis
