PARIS (AP) — Anne-Laure, Djamila, Justine, Guillaume, Nick and so many others — sons, daughters, mothers and fathers slain by Islamic State group gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris were fondly remembered Thursday as France commemorated the night of terror a decade ago that scarred and reshaped the country.
With minutes of silence and somber readings of the 132 victims’ names, the French capital mourned the dead and innocence it lost on Nov. 13, 2015, but also proudly recalled how Parisians came together, looked after each other and slowly but surely rebounded in the wake of the three-hour series of coordinated assaults targeting the packed Bataclan concert hall, joyful cafés and the national stadium where France’s soccer team was playing.
The bloodshed was France’s deadliest in peacetime — a national trauma likened to 9/11. The night hardened France’s security reflexes while deepening a sense of solidarity that has endured a decade later. Many Parisians think in terms of “before” and “after,” and some still check for exits when they’re in crowded places.
“Ten years. The pain remains,” French President Emmanuel Macron posted as he led the day of memorials, laying wreaths at attack sites and recalling “the lives cut short, the wounded, the families and the loved ones.”
Defiance and sorrow