After the resurgence of attacks in recent weeks, we commemorate the sad anniversary of the attacks of November 13.
For this 5th commemoration, the authorities were present on site. After the assassination of Samuel Paty on October 16 and the attack on the Basilica in Nice, France is stepping up its fight against terrorism. Jean Castex, Gérald Darmanin and Anne Hidalgo paid tribute to the victims.
The evening of November 13, 2015
On November 13, 2015, the horror came to a head at the Bataclan. Terrorists attack the Stade de France, the Bataclan and several establishments in the 10th and 11th arrondissements. Daesh, a terrorist organization, claims the facts (suicide attacks and shootings perpetrated by 3 separate commandos in Paris and its periphery). The toll is severe: 130 dead and nearly 400 injured
It all starts in St Denis (93), not far from the Stade de France. Francois Hollande attended a friendly soccer match between Germany and France. After 3 explosions, we deplore 4 dead (1 person and the 3 terrorists, who blew themselves up outside).
The other attacks took place in Paris where 3 individuals strafed the terraces of bars and restaurants. As 2 attackers fled, the 3rd blew himself up.
- Rue de Charonne (75011), to the “Beautiful team”: 18 victims.
- At the corner of Bichat and Alibert streets (75010), in “Petit Cambodge”: 12 dead.
- At the corner of rue de la Fontaine au Roi (75010), in “La Casa Nostra”: 5 dead.
- Bd Voltaire, not far from Bataclan: (75011): 1 dead, the terrorist dies after an attack.
The most deadly attack is that of the Bataclan (75011). The American rock group “The Eagles of Death Metal” gives a concert in front of 1,500 people. The 3 jihadists open fire on the public and then the security forces shoot them down. The first death toll of 82 will worsen to 130 dead and more than 350 injured.
The alleged attacks and the measures taken
A statement from Daesh suggested a 4th attack in the 18th arrondissement. The La Défense district was also targeted 5 days later, according to the investigation.
These attacks will remain the deadliest in France since World War II. They will be the second in Europe after the Madrid attacks of March 11, 2004 (191 dead).
The government declares a state of emergency throughout the country, a first since the Algiers putsch. The President of the Republic meets the great world leaders. They are together building a coalition to “destroy Daesh” in Syria and Iraq.
On November 18, 2015, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, leading thinker in the organization of the attacks and 2 accomplices were killed during a police assault in Saint-Denis. Belgium places Brussels under siege from November 21 to 26, 2015, fearing further attacks. After 4 months on the run, the Belgian police arrested the only survivor of the Parisian attacks, Salah Abdeslam on March 18, 2016, in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean.
Reconstruction and commemorations
You have to wait 2 years before the Bataclan reopens. Victims continue to suffer from post-traumatic shock and compensation continues. On November 13, 2016, President Hollande inaugurated 6 commemorative plaques on the various sites of the tragedies in the presence of survivors and families. The journey begins at the Stade de France then continues to the affected Parisian restaurants (Le Carillon, Le Petit Cambodge, La Bonne Bière, Comptoir Voltaire and La Bellequipe). He finishes in front of the Bataclan.
In 2019, the Paris Council voted to create a “Garden of Remembrance”. It will make it possible to “bring together, bear witness to and keep the memory of the victims”. It “should play an educational role, be a place of life in homage to all the victims”.
Every year, for the past 5 years, victims and families have commemorated this sad date. Party officials pay tribute to the victims. The associations (13 eleven 15 and Life for Paris) meet at the Town Hall of the 11th arrondissement and at the Town Hall.
This year, the Eiffel Tower went out at 8 p.m. and sparkled every hour in memory of the attack. The Life for Paris association called for an online tribute to the victims.
Collateral victims, residents of the building where Abdelhamid Abaaoud and his accomplices lived in St Denis, have not yet all been relocated. The building was bought and planks block the windows, the former co-owners were expropriated following a declaration of unworthy housing. Compensation has started. However, the occupants of the building are still awaiting victim status of terrorism.
Works for the victims
Several artistic works mark the 5th commemoration: an exhibition and concerts online and on YouTube
The photo exhibition
The association “13 eleven 15-Fraternité et Vérité”, created by victims and families, is organizing “Paris on November 13, overnight”, a photo exhibition from November 13, 2020 to March 11, 2021. You can find it on the gates of the May-Piqueray Garden (formerly Square du Bataclan). In partnership with the City of Paris and the Town Hall of the XIth arrondissement, Laura Serani, curator of the exhibition, reveals the photos of 42 artists, French and international, present that day in Paris.
The artists submitted a photo from their archives, taken on the day of November 13, 2015 before the attacks to constitute their “Journal du 13”. In parallel, they selected, one of their photographs as “response to the attacks”, texts justifying their choices or their experience, that day. They share their outlook on this tragedy and their way of fighting death while retaining hope and the spirit of resilience.
A 280-page catalog, on sale in selected bookstores, accompanies the exhibition. It contains an interview with François Hollande, texts by Anne Hidalgo and Henri Rousso, historian specializing in the 20th century at the exhibition. All proceeds from this sale go to the association. The online version can be downloaded for free from the association’s website. An Instagram campaign (#Journal du 13) invites everyone to share their experience of November 13. Anyone can publish an image taken the day before the attacks, or in response to the events. The 13onze15 association will share the publications.
Participating artists
Antoine d’Agata, Nikos Aliagas, Jane Evelyn Atwood, Jean-Christophe Béchet, Carolle Bénitah, Jacques Borgetto, Bruno Boudjelal, Jean-Christian Bourcart, Anne-Lise Broyer, Lorenzo Castore, Philippe Chancel, Clara Chichin, Ricky Dávila, Stefano De Luigi, Mathias Depardon, Claudine Doury, Stéphane Duroy, FLORE, Hicham Gardaf, Samuel Gratacap, Brian Griffin, Todd Hido, Evangelia Kranioti, Letizia Le Fur, Sze Tsung Nicolás Leong, Nicola Lo Calzo, Safaa Mazirh, Sarah Moon, Paulo Nozolino, Richard Pak, Catherine Poncin, Pauline Rousseau, Maurice Schobinger, Klavdij Sluban, SMITH, Fred Stucin, Laure Tiberghien, Laure Vasconi, Sabine Weiss, Hannah Whitaker, Matt Wilson, Sophie Zénon.
Concert at the Philharmonie de Paris
November 13 marks the 5th anniversary of the tragic disappearance of Stéphane Albertini at the Bataclan. His mother Louise Albertini paid tribute to him through a concert at the Philharmonie de Paris. “It’s November in My Soul” is a specially commissioned play in memory of the victims of the Bataclan bombing. Supported and funded by the Fondation de France, the project was born thanks to the #Nouveaux Commanditaires program.
The creation was born after Stéphane’s parents visited the exhibition “The paths of Guernica” in Madrid. The Franco-Lebanese poet and composer Bechara el-Khoury brings out the sweetness and intensity of feelings. The title of this 35-minute symphonic poem refers to a poem by Émile Verhaeren (Fruit of a long journey marked by the pain of the loss of a child, it marks the will to overcome this suffering, and the exchanges between family and artists).
Due to confinement, the Paris Chamber Orchestra recorded the concert behind closed doors on Tuesday, November 10. The Philharmonie website posted a broadcast on Friday the 13th. It can also be listened to Thursday November 19 at 8 p.m. on France Musique.
The concert on YouTube
The leader of the group “Queen of the Stone Age” was one of the co-founders of Eagle of Death Metal which played at the Bataclan on November 19, 2015. In support of the association “Life for Paris”, the group was in live on YouTube on November 13 at 6 p.m. KST.
The Terrorist Trial
The trial of Salah Abdel, the sole survivor of the November 2015 commandos, is scheduled for January 2021. A total of 20 people will be present in the defendants’ box facing the Cour d’Assises Spéciales in Paris. It is expected to last 6 months and be held in the former courthouse on Île-de-la-Cité. More than 1,750 civil parties are expected to attend.
Since last September, vigilance has been on the rise following the opening of the trial concerning the attacks of January 2015 (Charlie Hebdo). It is expected to last until 2022 and build on that of the November 13 attacks. This context of insecurity is accompanied by threats of attacks to support the jihadists. (In 5 years, there are 20 attacks committed on French soil, 19 failed and 61 foiled).
Resurgence of jihadist activities
The republication of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, President Macron’s speeches and the government’s action against Islamist separatism have resurfaced. This time, we are dealing with the actions of isolated individuals, unknown to intelligence. They act with bladed weapons and often with little preparation. In 1 month, we have experienced 3 terrorist attacks: in France, to which is added the one in Vienna in Austria (at least 4 dead).
- Attempted slaughter near the former Charlie Hebdo premises, end of September: 2 injured
- The beheading of Samuel Paty, mid-October for showing the caricatures of Muhammad in his high school.
- The stabbing attack on a church in Nice: 3 dead.
The risk from abroad is not excluded. Between 100 and 200 French jihadists are estimated to be established in the Iraqi-Syrian zone, particularly in the province of Idleb. However, we can count on the coordination of intelligence and counterterrorism services to fight internationally. The system concerning “Fichés“ S ”and” prisoners leaving prison will be extended to security measures, once the sentence has been served.
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