“On November 13, a day we will never forget, France was hit at its very heart”, Hollande told a solemn ceremony in the courtyard of the historic Invalides, the 17th-century complex housing Napoleon’s tomb.
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Several extremists launched coordinated attacks across the city, killing some 130 people and injuring over 360 at several locations, including restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and in the vicinity of the Stade de France stadium.
The French President called on all French citizens to hang the tricolour national flag from their windows on Friday to pay tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks during a national day of homage. “They will fail. They have a cult of death, but we have a love of life”.
The courtyard observed a minute of silence after the reading of the names finished, broken by a mournful cello. “We will continue to go to stadiums”.
Hollande notably maintained all his climate-related appointments last week, including a meeting with some African leaders on Tuesday and a speech to French farmers on Thursday.
But, when recalling about the disgusting night two weeks ago, many of them say they don’t want to feel hatred towards people who created the tragedy.
Belgian broadcaster RTBF said they were the brother and father of the man charged. Some victims’ relatives boycotted Friday’s ceremony at Invalides, complaining that authorities had failed to take proper security precautions.
The youngest victim killed in the attacks was 17 and the oldest was 68, but the vast majority of victims were in their 20s and 30s.
French President Francois Hollande met with environmental groups Saturday, pushing for an ambitious global deal to reduce man-made emissions blamed for global warming – with emphasis on helping developing countries adapt to a changing world.
Hollande speaks at the ceremony.
“I solemnly promise you all that France will do everything to defeat the army of fanatics who have committed these crimes, that she will act tirelessly to protect her children”, said Holland.
Some 2,000 people took part in the commemoration, including government officials, rescue workers, family members of the victims and survivors, some of whom arrived in wheelchairs and stretchers.
“Suddenly, we’re asking ourselves what it means to be French, to live in France, something we do daily without giving it a second thought”, Huguet said after clambering down to answer a question about what it means to be French in the aftermath of the bloodbath. Well, they will not stop it. We will sing more songs, multiply the concerts, the shows…
“We know the enemy, it is hate, which kills in Bamako, in Tunis, in Palmyra, in Copenhagen, in Paris and has killed in the past in London or Madrid”, he said.
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Countries on the front line, such as small island states that could vanish amid rising seas, were anxious that the Paris attacks would become a distraction for Western countries in particular.
