Hélène Muyal-Leiris, 35, was one of the 89 innocent people gunned down at the Bataclan concert hall during the Paris attacks on Friday evening.
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Antoine Leiris made this moving tribute to honour his wife who died in the Bataclan during the attacks.
The BBC filmed Leiris, a radio journalist, reading his English version and broadcast it Wednesday night.
Leiris explains that although the terrorists may have taken not only the love of his life, but also the mother of his son, he refuses to hold hatred in his heart for them.
On the evening of Friday 13th over 100 people were brutally murdered at the hands of attacks across Paris, which has since been claimed by ISIS. His words are so powerful that it is able to destroy you, yet it gives you strength to pick up the pieces and carry on.
Writing in French with translation, Leiris speaks to the attackers, saying “I do not know who you are, and I don’t want to know – you are dead souls”. You want it, but to respond to hatred with anger would be to give in to the same ignorance that made you what you are. That I sacrifice my freedom of security. “Of course I am devastated with grief, I will give you that tiny victory, but this will be a short-term grief”. You lost. Same player.
I saw her this morning, finally after nights and days of waiting. I know she will continue to be with us every day and that we will find each other again in this paradise of free souls to which you will never gain access.
“Us two, my son and I, we will be stronger than every army in the world”.
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“He will eat his meals as usual, and then we are going to play as usual, and for his whole life this little boy will threaten you by being happy and free”, he concluded. You will not get his hatred either.
