On Thursday, France was marking the 10th anniversary of the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris.
Nearly 130 people were killed and more than 400 injured in attacks on multiple sites near Paris on Friday night by militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group.
At a ceremony Thursday afternoon outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the northern outskirts of Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte took part in a wreath-laying ceremony and a minute of silence. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also attended.
“Ten years on. The pain is still there,” Macron said at the X before the ceremony. “Lives lost, injured, families and loved ones, France remembers.”
Which tribute is being organized on the 10th anniversary of the Paris attacks?
The tribute ceremony at the country’s national stadium was the first of several across the city that Macron was attending on Thursday.
The French president was also attending ceremonies at each of the sites where the attacks took place 10 years ago: two cafes in the bustling 10th arrondissement; Three establishments in the neighboring 11th arrondissement; and the Bataclan theater, where 90 people were killed during a concert by the American band Eagles of Death Metal.
Outside the Bataclan, Macron and former President Francois Hollande took part in an afternoon ceremony that brought silence to the normally busy Boulevard Voltaire.
An event was also held at the Place de la Republique, where people left candles, flowers and handwritten notes at the foot of the Marian monument.
The day of remembrance was due to conclude with a ceremony in a newly inaugurated memorial garden in front of City Hall in the center of Paris, which Macron would preside over.
The Eiffel Tower was also to be illuminated in the colors of the French national flag, while the bells at Notre-Dame Cathedral would ring in the evening.
A minute’s silence will also be observed before France’s World Cup qualifying game against Ukraine on Thursday night, which will be held at Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes instead of the Stade de France.
What happened on 13 November 2015?
The attacks began when suicide bombers detonated their explosive vests at the entrance to the Stade de France, where the French men’s national team was playing against Germany.
Over the next 20 minutes, the gunmen would open fire on people in several bars and restaurants, including the Bataclan.
“The 10th anniversary is here and the emotions and stress are everywhere for us survivors,” said Arthur Denoveux, president of the victims’ organization Life for Paris. “It kind of shields us from the world, because we’re so focused on the grief and remembering those who lost their lives.”
DeNoveux was attending a concert at the Bataclan when three gunmen entered the venue and killed dozens of people during a three-hour siege.
The sole surviving attacker, Salah Abdeslam, is serving a life sentence in prison. Nineteen other associates have also been convicted.
Edited by: Kieran Burke and Sean Sinico