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Ten years later, the survivors Paris Attacks Struggle to deal with trauma France Tributes are set to be held Thursday for the victims of the attacks that killed more than 130 people and injured more than 400.
“The 10th anniversary is here and the emotions and stress are everywhere for us survivors,” said Arthur Denoveux, 39, president of the victims’ association. life to Paris. “It kind of shields us from the world, because our focus is on grief and remembering those who have lost their lives.”
On November 13, 2015, nine gunmen and suicide bombers from the Islamic State group attacked several locations within a matter of minutes in the deadliest violence in France since World War II.
They targeted fans and café goers at the Stade de France stadium and ended in bloodshed Bataclan130 people died. Two survivors who later took their own lives as a result of physical and mental trauma have also been identified as victims.
Denovueux was at a concert by Californian rock band Eagles of Death Metal at the Bataclan. Since then, he has resolved to tell his story, speak to the media, and write books to keep from forgetting what happened.
“The hardest part is November 14 when you have to somehow get back to normal life and the sadness is still here, but the bond is a little more distant,” DeNoveau told The Associated Press.
dealing with post traumatic stress
At 9:47 pm, three gunmen entered the Bataclan and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 90 people.
When Denovueux heard the first gunshot he crawled to the nearest emergency exit.
He said, “I remember crawling over dead bodies. I believe most of the people were pretending to be dead and not dead, but dead nonetheless. And I remember some people’s faces or at least some facial expressions that were definitely dead because of the angle of the neck, because of the color of the skin.”
Out on the street, he helped the shocked Eagles of Death Metal members into a taxi.
DeNoveux, the father of three girls ages 2, 4 and 6, says it took him a year and a lot of medication to recover from the most critical stages of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“But I would say since 2017, I haven’t had any panic attacks, I haven’t had anything like that,” he said. “But I’m very cautious because I’m not sure you’ll recover from PTSD.”
Memorial garden opens near Paris City Hall
Thursday’s main ceremony will take place in the memorial garden newly created by Paris City Hall in the presence of the French President Emmanuel MacronParis Mayor Anne Hidalgo, survivors and families of the victims.
Macron will also lay wreaths at the sites of the attacks before the garden event. Parisians are invited to place candles, flowers and written notes on the city’s Republic Plaza and at night the Eiffel Tower will be lit in the colors of the French flag.
“The country will gather to honor the memory of those who lost their lives, show its unwavering support for their loved ones, express its gratitude to all those who intervened (that night), and reaffirm its ongoing commitment to the fight against terrorism,” Macron’s office said in a statement.
The new memorial garden, created with contributions from survivors of the attacks and relatives of those killed, commemorates the six sites of the attacks, with the victims’ names engraved on steles.
Denovueux, who was involved from the beginning, said the goal of the project was “to create a place that remembers the dead but is also a place of life, a place that is beautiful, that is peaceful.”
The French Football Federation will honor the victims on Thursday as the France national team hosts Ukraine in a men’s World Cup qualifier. The match will take place at the Parc des Princes in Paris rather than the Stade de France in the nearby suburb of Saint-Denis, with a minute’s silence before kick-off.
Survivors seek a new path
November 13, 2015 became an important milestone in the history of France, which shocked the entire nation and shook the country’s sense of security.
Denovueux said survivors had to find a new path in life after the attacks.
“When you survive a terrorist attack … you’re isolated from the rest of the world,” Denovueux said. “There are three stages of mourning: mourning for those who died, mourning for the person you were… and mourning for the image people have of you.”
A month-long trial in 2021–2022 convicted Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the team that carried out the attacks, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The special terrorism court also convicted 19 other people involved.
“Ten years later, when I say to someone who doesn’t know: ‘Well, I was in the Bataclan,’ that person’s perception of me changes immediately,” Denovueux said. “The emotions he felt that day, but also, I think, the fear of wondering, ‘Is he OK? Can I talk to him about this? How do we do this?’ And of course, it takes you out of phase.”