Crowds of mourners fled Paris’ Place de la République on Sunday evening after hearing what many believed were gunshots.
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A few hundred metres away, a few people even jumped into the cold waters of the Ourcq canal to escape the feared threat, a security agent said.
Police also cleared the plaza without an explanation, but reports circulated on social media said that there were “shots” heard.
After Friday’s Paris terrorist attacks that left over 100 people dead and more than 200 injured, the City of Light remains in a standstill.
It was hard to find anyone at this gathering who would say a bad word about the attackers, and expressions of patriotism were restrained.
Although people said they felt good about returning to the square, the crowd at one point suddenly started to run in panic towards side streets.
A collective panic in several Paris neighbourhoods, including Place de la Republique, was a false alarm, according to two French law enforcement officials. Apparently firecrackers triggered the panic.
A huge banner draped at the bottom of the statue on the plaza reads: “Can’t Scare Us”.
“Our country knows the pain of mourning and must face barbarity propagated by fanatical groups”.
Ever since the attack, Ahmad said, he’s avoided discussions on what happened, and why. It is unbelievable. But we must carry on, we should not let fear take over us.
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In the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral, religious leaders and members of the public prayed for peace and dedicated thoughts and prayers to the victims.
