France Marks Grim 10-Year Anniversary of Paris 2015 Attacks that Left 130 Dead

France solemnly marked the 10th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attacks on its soil since World War II, when Islamic State militants killed 130 people and wounded over 400 in a coordinated assault across the capital. President Emmanuel Macron led commemorations starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Stade de France, where three suicide bombers struck during a France-Germany friendly match attended by then-President François Hollande. The tributes then moved to the bloodstained terraces of cafés and restaurants in the 10th and 11th arrondissements—Le Carillon, Le Petit Cambodge, Café Bonne Bière, La Belle Équipe, and Comptoir Voltaire—before concluding at the Bataclan concert hall, where 90 concertgoers were massacred. The Eiffel Tower glowed in the French tricolour the night before, a luminous symbol of national mourning and resilience.

The attacks began at 9:20 p.m. on November 13, 2015, with near-simultaneous blasts outside the stadium, followed by gunmen opening fire on crowded outdoor seating areas in a vibrant, multicultural district known for its nightlife. The deadliest phase unfolded at the Bataclan, where three assailants stormed an Eagles of Death Metal concert, executing hostages during a two-hour siege before police intervention triggered a final suicide detonation. Planned in Syria and executed by a Brussels-based cell, the operation shocked Europe, prompting a three-month state of emergency that expanded police powers, surveillance, and security protocols—many now permanently enshrined in French law under the Vigipirate system.

Survivors remain profoundly scarred. Sebastian Lascoux, inside the Bataclan, recalled the chaos: “People ended up all squashed together and collapsed as one… then the smell of blood.” His friend died shielding another, a sacrifice that saved her life. Now 46, Lascoux suffers severe PTSD, unable to enter crowded or enclosed spaces, with loud noises evoking gunfire. Catherine Bertrand, another Bataclan survivor and vice-president of the 13onze15 victims’ association, acknowledged the enduring trauma: “We are all deeply traumatised by that evening,” but stressed continuity: “There are concerts at the Bataclan, life goes on, we meet up between friends” at the attacked sites.

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Historian Denis Peschanski, co-leading a decade-long study on survivors’ memories, noted the attacks’ unique reach: “Everyone was a potential victim—either old enough to be there or to have children who could have been.” The Bataclan reopened in 2016 with a Sting concert, a defiant return to normalcy. While the Islamic State’s territorial caliphate has collapsed, reducing its capacity for complex overseas operations, its online propaganda continues to radicalise vulnerable individuals via social media. This week, anti-terrorism prosecutors opened a probe into the former partner of Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving perpetrator currently imprisoned.

Ten years on, the attacks have reshaped French society—heightening security, fuelling political debates on immigration and integration, and inspiring global solidarity under the slogan “Je suis Charlie”, extended to “Je suis en terrasse”. Annual memorials, survivor networks, and cultural reclamation efforts reflect a nation that refuses to be defined by terror. As Macron laid wreaths and observed silence, he honoured not just the fallen but a collective resolve: France remembers, grieves, and endures.

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