Peace for Paris

~ Purpleanais

peace for paris

At least 128 people have died and around 180 were injured last night in Paris in a series of carefully planned and coordinated attacks. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, citing Paris as “the capital of abomination and perversion, the one that carries the banner of the cross in Europe.”

I don’t think anybody was surprised by the fact the horrors in Paris were committed by the Islamic State. We all guessed early on that it must be behind it, because, who else in this day and age still goes on insane crusades?
Isis said the carnage in Paris last night was “a holy attack facilitated by Allah” as if anybody in their right mind could ever think that fear and horror can, or should be, associated with God and religion.

Insanity is the only word that can describe “this”. What happened in Paris yesterday could have happened anywhere. It wasn’t just the French that were attacked, it was Democracy, Liberty, Equality.
As I was reminded last night of how low humanity can sink, I was also shown its capacity for kindness: texts and phone calls flooded in from friends in England who wanted to show me their support. My friends and family in France also sent texts and called, the lovely people here on WordPress were incredibly supportive. I stayed up half the night glued to the horrific news but talking to friends and family and bloggers as well. Similarly, in Paris last night, it wasn’t just about carnage and brutality: people reached out to each other, with taxis drivers taking people home for free and Parisians opening their doors and offering shelter to anyone left stranded in the city…kindness won out over hate, like it should do, like it always will.

This morning, I don’t have the words, either in French or English to describe how I feel. All I can say is: the French are strong, we were subjected to vile attacks earlier this year and we survived them, we will survive this. We are not going to be intimidated, we are not going to be afraid, we will not bow down to insanity and terror.
Terrorists attacks are meant to divide, they are meant to sow fear. We will not be divided and we will not fear. My heart bleeds for the victims in Paris and my heart bleeds for their families and friends, but I stand here today as determined as ever to uphold the values of any civilised country – I am not, and will not be afraid.

People gather in solidarity of the victims of a terror attack against a satirical newspaper, in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. Masked gunmen shouting
Image Credit: Jean Jullien

59 thoughts on “Peace for Paris”

  9. It was moving to see the kindness that arose even among the chaos. I think evil wants to destroy everyting good but out of these evil actions,people were inspired to care for one another. I think of the families of those that have been lost. Just awful. Take care Nathalie xxxx

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    1. Thank you very much for your support Charles, I can assure you it is greatly valued, by me and the French people. I’ve gone all teary again, it’s been such an emotional time and your kindness is *everything*

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  12. Nathalie, I cannot fathom the feeling of pride of your people (yes we are all humans but in this case I’m intentionally making a distinction) as most of the U.S. isn’t united in anything but selfishness (no not all but a lot). Our government will probably offer lip service to this event and only make matters worse. I pray your people will carry on their legacy of free thinking and democratic lineage, despite the attempts of madmen to corral it in. The French sparked the Revolutionary Romantic mindset that other nations envied and wanted for themselves. I pray they never lose that!

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    1. Thank you Dara! I have so much pride in my French heritage, from the revolutionary mindset to the ingrained belief in Free Speech and intellectual values…no terrorists are ever going to destroy or even threaten what’s deeply embedded in the French psyche!

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  13. It is a wonderfully worded post. My heart goes out to Paris.
    And as for these religious extremists? They think they can justify just about anything in the name of religion. There’s no faith or the love of God in them but sheer hatred.
    My heart goes out to everyone and I just hope people stay strong.
    Viva la France! Take care.

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  14. Some inhuman creatures always try to do violence and create disturbance. However, we have to be united and stand strong.
    Thank you for sharing! My heart is with Paris!!
    Stay Strong and take care! ❤

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  18. Its uplifting and pretty endearing to see folks pulling together and rooting for one another at such a time as this! There’s such a great amount of power in numbers and with love, kindness and humanity taking centre stage, the battle’s half won! Fear and paranoia are downers but learning to draw strength from one and another will put paid to ’em!

    Inspiring and beautifully laid out post….a certified morale booster! Thanks for sharing Purple! 😇😊

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  19. Vive la France! Great post, Nathalie!! I hope that you, your friends and family in France and elsewhere, are safe. Be strong, the world is with France.

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  20. The innocent and those who cherish freedom from tyranny and hate, love everyday with courage and determination. The hijackers of religion for the purpose of evil shall taste blood but never victory.

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  24. I’m so glad to see you are okay! It’s so tragic. It saddens me to see such intolerance and hatred. Innocence lost at the hands of vengeance serves no purpose. You are in my thoughts, beautiful lady. 💜

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  25. Barbarism in the name of religion is as old as the earth, we must fight this scourge. My heart goes out to the courageous and lovely people of France, and the city of light.

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