#JeSuisCharlie sadness takes over France.
#JeSuisCharlie. Here I am, sitting in the French countryside, in a tiny but wealthy town called Francport, situated in the north of Paris. Not too far away is where two gunmen hid the day after the terror attack before they headed back to Paris and were eventually killed by the French security forces.
On Wednesday, the location of where both gunmen attacked Charlie Hebdo’s office is also a mere 10-minute walk from the apartment where I typically stay in the city. A few steps away is Place de la République, the focal point of mournful vigils and of course, where Sunday’s unity rally solemnly commenced.
A few more blocks away is Le Marais, a district frequently flooded by tourists inside chic boutiques and also the epicenter of the Jewish community which is now protected by 10,000 mobilized security forces.
It seems as though anywhere I go, there is no escape from the horrid reminders of what had brutally occurred in this country. “Je Suis Charlie” etched throughout charming alleys that have always welcomed carefree visitors, but are now masked by mutters of aghast yet prideful conversations.
Often deemed as the most beautiful city in the world, the City of Light has unfortunately mutated into the land of social chaos this week. The right to freedom of the press was harshly violated while innocent lives were lost. Those lives that were once a father, a daughter, a friend, a person who mattered, a person who loved and was beloved.
Walking by Place de la République, now graced by candlelights dedicated to victims, only sends chills straight down my back. Surely, I’m not the only one.
As a traveler swarmed by the prosperity of local perspectives, I can only say that many in Paris intuitively feel as though this is not the end, and the terror attack is only the start of something. And the not knowing is gravely disturbing.
For many locals, the unity rally was the first march they have ever attended in their lives. A Parisian friend called me on the phone and said, “this is our version of 9/11, the sadness is overwhelming.” While another friend of mine, a journalist, is also drenched in grief since she knew one of the victims murdered. A country long been known for its open-mindedness is stained by the aftermath of heightened stigmatism and racism, despite the unwillingness to falter.
Sunday’s unity march was massively peaceful. Unity signified 2 million people’s show of dignity and pride. Unity also gathered families including the old and the young who eagerly held homemade signs while standing on parked scooters in front of the neighborhood boulangerie.
Originally, Team JST and I had planned for this month to focus on the trite yet unavoidable message highlighting a “new year, new you” concept. When tragedy happens, however; how can we, as a platform preaching internationalism and multiculturalism, not take a stand in the wake of an event leaving everyone’s emotions distressingly provoked.
Despite security forces currently guarding the Jewish community, Parisians are still going about their lives in a city marked by its eternal beauty, now scarred by terror. The air is different.
Wary yet resilient. #JeSuisCharlie.
With love to & from Paris,
