Pray for Paris

A photo taken on November 17, 2015 in Paris shows the Eiffel Tower illuminated with the French national colors in tribute to the victims of the November 13, 2015 Paris terror attacks. AFP PHOTO / BERTRAND GUAY (Photo credit should read BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images)

The terrorist group ISIS attacked Paris, France, on the evening of Friday, November 13, leaving 129 people dead and over 300 wounded. The first in the series of attacks started at 9:20, right outside of the Stade de France, a stadium hosting a France-Germany soccer game, where one passerby was killed by a suicide bomber. At 9:25, only minutes after the first attack, two gunmen opened fire inside the Le Carillon bar, later to walk across the street and continue to shoot inside the Le Petit Cambrodge cafe, totaling fifteen killed and ten injured. Moments later, gunmen with assault weapons started to shoot inside a popular Italian restaurant, called Casa Nostra, leaving five dead and eight wounded. A second explosion went off outside of the Stade de France at 9:30, although at this time, most of the audience wasn’t aware of the actual attacks yet. Attackers entered the La Belle Equipe, a favored eatery, at 9:36, killing 19 and injuring nine. At 9:40 in the Bataclan concert hall, shooters entered the building and immediately opened continuous fire for what survivors reported to be fifteen minutes or so. Killing 89 and injuring over 200, the gunmen kept the remaining concertgoers hostage for about two hours, exploding their suicide belts when the police stormed the building at 12:20 AM. At 9:53, outside of a McDonald’s restaurant near the stadium, a third bomber blew himself up, but no one else was hurt. It was by this time that the crowd in the stadium learned (mainly through their phones) of the previous attacks.
Immediately after the attacks, a state of emergency was declared across France, tightening border control to ensure that no potential attackers could enter. Paramilitary police were issued to the heart of France, with 1,500 military troops sent in to join them, patrolling locations called “particularly strategic” by French Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve.
When interviewed by “The Washington Post”, French president, François Hollande, commented, “In these difficult moments, we must — and I’m thinking of the many victims, their families and the injured — show compassion and solidarity. But we must also show unity and calm. Faced with terror, France must be strong, it must be great and the state authorities must be firm. We will be.”
Countries around the world proceeded to show compassion, not only for the victims of the attacks, but for all of France, crying out numerous pleas through social media, “Pray for Paris” being one of the most popular. Various world leaders made statements, from Russian leader Vladimir Putin sending his condolences to Hollande and the people of France, to U.S. President Barack Obama stating that “the skies have been darkened by the horrific attacks that took place in Paris just a day and a half ago,” in the G20 meeting the Sunday after the attacks. Even Pope Francis claimed, “There is no religious or human justification for it,” in a telephone interview with TV2000. Investigations concerning the attacks continue to ensue, leaving nations around the world reeling, forced to pick up the pieces of a senseless, violent crime.