A City in Mourning: See How Parisians Are Standing Together
The City of Light is lined with locked doors, diligent soldiers, and hundreds of tearful mourners as the French capital reflects on last night’s series of terrorist attacks.
At least 127 people died in a set of at least six coordinated terrorist attacks on Paris’ national stadium, several cafés, and the Bataclan concert hall on Friday evening. It’s being called the deadliest attack in the nation since World War II.
Early Saturday morning, the Islamic State took responsibility for the coordinated attacks in France’s capital city. In an announcement published on online accounts, the terrorist group called the attacks “the first of the storm,” The New York Times reports. The Islamic State has also claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in Beirut on Thursday in which at least 43 people were killed.
French President François Hollande called the attacks an “act of war” and declared three days of national mourning.
Although French authorities believe all eight attackers who implemented the attacks are dead, they are searching for authorities and accomplices. Popular tourist destinations such as the Eiffel Tower, Disneyland Paris, and the Louvre closed their doors today.
Cities around the globe stood in solidarity with Paris by illuminating major landmarks in the colors of France’s tricolor flag, while others held demonstrations on Saturday.
As the world mourns, Parisians have lined up to help those in need, from the residents who opened their doors to strangers with nowhere to go last night to the hundreds who trekked to local hospitals on Saturday morning to donate blood.
A pianist performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” for a crowd near the Bataclan on Saturday morning. According to social media accounts, he strapped his piano to his bike to perform at the scene.