‘If you stay home, then you lose to the terrorists’: A French perspective on the Paris attacks
In the wake of attacks, Paris hasn’t lost heart
Florence Zhou, a gap year student studying in Paris was enjoying her Friday evening at the cinema when terrorists attacked 20 minutes away from her.
“I felt weird,” Florence said after watching the French film, “En Mai Fais Ce Qu’il Te Plait”. The movie showed Germany’s invasion of France in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until afterwards Florence realized the French soccer team played Germany at the stadium which was bombed on Friday evening.
“At around 11pm I started getting messages from friends abroad asking if I were okay, that’s when I checked the news and realized what had happened.
“I have a friend who was a kilometer away from the bar where the shooting happened. The metros were closed, and he couldn’t make it home until 7am.”
Paris endured an attack “on all of humanity and the universal values that we share,” said President Obama on Saturday.
Social media presents an overwhelming image of a suffering city. Tricolored profile pictures and images of national icons lit up in French colors expose a new image of Paris—an aching, suffering one.
But when asked about how citizens and the city is responding to the aftermath, Florence describes a “vivant” scene, which escapes television and media coverage, a scene she thinks should be revealed, promoted, and highlighted.
“Parisians are not hiding in their homes. Instead they decide to not give in to the fear of terrorism, but to keep enjoying life.
“The French friends I have are generally not in a panic mode. Many still went out Saturday night, one in particular told me: ‘If you stay home then you lose a bit to the terrorists.'”
Florence highlighted the spirit of Paris, and how she and her friends are not fearful of the “barbaric” incident.
While the heart of the city aches for hurting families and innocent lives, Paris endures.
“After staying at home yesterday [Saturday], I went out with friends again today. We had a great view of Paris at Montmartre, drank some coffee, and watched the movie The Walk in the cinema.”
Florence’s image, an image not presented to the world, reminds us serenity and peace are not forgotten even after moments of chaos and hell.
“Do not fear, because that means the evil won over us.”