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| Wounded survivors of Paris attacks gather at remembrance ceremony | |
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| In wheelchairs or on hospital trolleys, draped in black blankets to keep warm against the bitter cold, one in a baseball cap, another in forces uniform, wounded survivors of the Paris terrorist attacks watched from the vast military courtyard of Les Invalides as the president paid homage to the 130 killed. | In wheelchairs or on hospital trolleys, draped in black blankets to keep warm against the bitter cold, one in a baseball cap, another in forces uniform, wounded survivors of the Paris terrorist attacks watched from the vast military courtyard of Les Invalides as the president paid homage to the 130 killed. |
| At the solemn national ceremony to remember the victims of France’s worst-ever terrorist attacks, more than 2,000 family members and survivors gathered. But many more wounded survivors were still in hospital, several in intensive care, unable to attend. | At the solemn national ceremony to remember the victims of France’s worst-ever terrorist attacks, more than 2,000 family members and survivors gathered. But many more wounded survivors were still in hospital, several in intensive care, unable to attend. |
| Many of the 352 injured had suffered devastating and life-changing injuries, and doctors said hundreds more had suffered psychological trauma that would be hard to overcome. | Many of the 352 injured had suffered devastating and life-changing injuries, and doctors said hundreds more had suffered psychological trauma that would be hard to overcome. |
| François Hollande, arriving to the national anthem La Marseillaise being played by the Republican Guard, attempted to address the trauma of a nation. | François Hollande, arriving to the national anthem La Marseillaise being played by the Republican Guard, attempted to address the trauma of a nation. |
| His message – in a speech he had penned himself rather than delegating it to speechwriters – was that France would not change. He promised that the diverse nation with a love of life and freedom, would remain “just how the victims had loved it”. | His message – in a speech he had penned himself rather than delegating it to speechwriters – was that France would not change. He promised that the diverse nation with a love of life and freedom, would remain “just how the victims had loved it”. |
| He said: “The terrorists want to divide us, pit us one against they other. They will fail. They have a cult of death, but we have a love of life.” | He said: “The terrorists want to divide us, pit us one against they other. They will fail. They have a cult of death, but we have a love of life.” |
| As families watched images of the victims appear on a black screen – a smiling mother holding her baby, a young woman in a holiday snap, a man holding a beer, a man in tuxedo – the mood was of utter sadness and desolation. | As families watched images of the victims appear on a black screen – a smiling mother holding her baby, a young woman in a holiday snap, a man holding a beer, a man in tuxedo – the mood was of utter sadness and desolation. |
| More than half of the victims were under 35. A little girl led by the hand by an usher to the Red Cross support area for family members was a reminder of how many of those killed had left behind young children. The victims came from more than 50 places in France — housing estates, villages, countryside and cities — and 17 different countries. | More than half of the victims were under 35. A little girl led by the hand by an usher to the Red Cross support area for family members was a reminder of how many of those killed had left behind young children. The victims came from more than 50 places in France — housing estates, villages, countryside and cities — and 17 different countries. |
| Hollande said 13 November, when gunmen and suicide bombers attacked bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and the Stade de France stadium, was a date that would always be remembered in France. | Hollande said 13 November, when gunmen and suicide bombers attacked bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and the Stade de France stadium, was a date that would always be remembered in France. |
| He said the youth killed – who have come to be known as Generation Bataclan – had “despite the tears, become the face of France” and he urged people to fight back with more “songs, concerts and shows. We will continue to go to stadiums”. | He said the youth killed – who have come to be known as Generation Bataclan – had “despite the tears, become the face of France” and he urged people to fight back with more “songs, concerts and shows. We will continue to go to stadiums”. |
| But Hollande’s speech also hammered home his vow that since the attacks, France was at war. “To all of you, I solemnly promise that France will do everything to destroy the army of fanatics that committed these crimes,” he told the families. | But Hollande’s speech also hammered home his vow that since the attacks, France was at war. “To all of you, I solemnly promise that France will do everything to destroy the army of fanatics that committed these crimes,” he told the families. |
| The military setting was deeply symbolic. The courtyard of Paris’s military complex, Les Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, is indelibly linked to the army and military history. | The military setting was deeply symbolic. The courtyard of Paris’s military complex, Les Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, is indelibly linked to the army and military history. |
| This was the first time civilians had been honoured in this temple to the French military where presidents are more used to honouring the flag-draped coffins of soldiers killed in service, as Hollande has done in the case of soldiers killed in Mali. | This was the first time civilians had been honoured in this temple to the French military where presidents are more used to honouring the flag-draped coffins of soldiers killed in service, as Hollande has done in the case of soldiers killed in Mali. |
| Holding the memorial here was a way for Hollande to reiterate his message that the attacks were an act of war, and that the people killed were victims of war. He said the attackers had acted “in the name of an insane cause and a betrayed God” but that France would “defeat this enemy”. | Holding the memorial here was a way for Hollande to reiterate his message that the attacks were an act of war, and that the people killed were victims of war. He said the attackers had acted “in the name of an insane cause and a betrayed God” but that France would “defeat this enemy”. |