Which moment to choose? Which image to remember? The Eiffel Tower adorned with the international symbol of peace? The bells of Paris churches ringing out in unison? The joyful, rock’n’roll performance of the song “Shooting Stars” by the Chœur du 13, made up of victims and some of their loved ones? Or the deep, respectful emotion of the crowd gathered at Place de la République late into the night? Yes, which to choose? The memories collide; there are so many.
In any case, Arthur Dénouveaux, a Bataclan survivor and president of the victims’ group Life for Paris, need not have worried: This day of remembrance, 10 years after the deadly attacks that scarred France, would remain etched in memory. Just before the commemorations began, he confided how much he hoped finally to experience a true moment of national unity on this crucial day.
That hope had been impossible to fulfill in the direct aftermath of the terrorist attacks, due to the state of emergency immediately declared by President François Hollande and extended into Emmanuel Macron’s presidency, until October 31, 2017. “Do you know what I’d like on this November 13? It’s to have clear proof that people still suffer with us and do not forget us… Previous commemorations felt empty, to be honest.” Dénouveaux can rest assured; no one has forgotten, no one can forget. The emotion is still here, just beneath the surface.
Tear-filled gaze
It was hard not to feel it as Sophie Dias spoke on Thursday at 11:30 am, outside Gate D of Stade de France in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the first stop on President Macron’s memorial route. Her father, Manuel Dias, was the first victim of the jihadists. The bus driver was killed by the explosion of one of the three suicide bombers outside the stadium where a friendly football match between France and Germany was being played. “Since that November 13, there is a void that can never be filled, an absence that weighs on us every morning for 10 years. But there are memories that nothing can erase,” she said, recalling how much her father loved life.
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