Five o’clock pm we had received the first notifications on the distress taking place in Paris. Contacts went out to friends who are presently studying abroad as well as the family members of students that live in France. Now a full day later with over a hundred and twenty innocent lives taken away from them and at least three hundred and fifty others injured in order to promote an act of war and fear amongst a city the was previously filled with peace and life. Local news networks have published a multiple of pieces and new evidence has taken surface that the terrorist group that we all have come to know, ISIS, has taken responsibility for the attacks (source: FOX News).
The attacks took rain at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris where the band, Eagles of Death Metal, were supposed to perform. None of the band members were injured, but they had lost a close friend to them. Those who were in the crowd were filled with fear and chaos broke out. The attack had eighty nine deaths. The other attacked locations were La Casa Nostra, Petit Combodge restaurant and Le Carillon Bar, Stade de France and La Belle Equipe bar. BBC has provided the gathered information on the attacks. At the La Belle Equipe there was at least nineteen who have passed away, Le Carillon bar and Le petit Cambodge restaurant fifteen dead, La Casa Nostra restaurant at least five dead in gun attacks, and lastly at the Stade de france where three of the attackers were killed before anything but explosions could take place. French President Francois Hollande who was present at the attack at Stade De France was quick to speak on the tragedies. The terrorist who allegedly had possession of AK-47s and suicide belts were remembered to have been shouting phrases in order to support themselves and the power of the terrorist groups (source: FOX News and BBC).
France is not the only location taking attacks BBC has posted articles referring to the twin suicide bombings that took place in Beirut. With forty one people killed and two hundred injured these bombings caused the most causalities since 1990 at the end of Lebanon’s civil war. Baghdad had at least 19 killed and thirty three injured in a suicide bombing at a funeral on Friday as well.
President Obama responded this afternoon calling the attack on Paris outrageous and an “attack on all of humanity”, making it clear that we as a country stood to support Paris in the fight to abolish future terrorist attacks and the present travesties that have taken place (source: CNN). The attacks were no doubt terrible acts of violence and hate, something our world knows enough about. Hopefully the end of these hateful attacks is near and we can all stand together instead of trying to tear everyone apart. As France holds themselves up in these recent events not only have we, but other countries as well have chosen to stand with them.