At any given time of the day or night, the Place de la Republique in Paris is pulsating. It's got the energy of Mumbai’s Juhu beach. Many political rallies begin or end here.
The nightlife around Republique, which is lined with theatres, nightclubs, bars and restaurants, is among the city's great attractions. Many places remain open up to 3 am. Some shut at 5 in morning, to allow the weekend parties to go on and on.
Yet, on Saturday, deathly calm prevailed in this historic quarter as the people of Paris, France and indeed across Europe woke up to a world that had changed forever. Large parts of the 11th and some parts of the 10th arrondissements, which border Republique, had been barricaded as the forensic experts tried to scoop out every shred of evidence, often mixed with blood, lying in and around the five sites that were targeted by terrorists on Friday night.
The deadliest violence that the French capital has seen in over 70 years and definitely the deadliest ever when the country was not at war has shattered the lives of hundreds and scarred for millions of others.
Great anxiety
Parisians are hurt, worried and scared. They are hurt that their beloved city, often called the City of Lights and the World Capital of Romance, has been turned into a battlefield, comparable to some war-torn city in the Middle East. This is not the first attack to batter the city this year – the memories and scars of January’s attack on Charlie Hebdo, the French weekly, and a Jewish store remain fresh in their minds. They are scared that the city and indeed the country is plunging into a long, nightmarish battle with terrorists, who seem to be able to strike anywhere, anytime.
While French society may be able to get over the wounds of Friday’s attacks, each successive strike divides the French society just a little more, with suspicions rising between the majority Catholic community and Muslim citizens, who form about 10% of the country’s 62 million population and who have long felt isolated and discriminated against. These are anxieties that terror recruiters have exploited.
As the divide becomes deeper, the extreme elements on both sides stand to benefit. Already, opinion polls show that the Front National, the extreme right wing party led by Marine Le Pen, is ahead of the traditional rulers of France – the centre-right Republicans and the centre-left Socialists. For the first time in French history, the FN is leading the polls in regional and Presidential elections, which are slated for December 2015 and May 2017.
Rightwing suggestions
Le Pen has already suggested some severe measures targeting France’s Muslims, though many of the measures have only symbolic value. But Black Friday in Paris is bound to encourage more serious and damaging statements from FN. Even the Republicans and the Socialists would be ill at ease to reject all suggestions of the group, which has called for closing the borders, cracking down on immigrants and pushing for a closed, inward-looking French society and economy. Such utterances are bound to strengthen the hands of the extremists, pushing the country into a vicious circle.
This is where the real challenge lies for the French people. Will they be strong enough to reject a lurch to the extreme right and continue with policies rooted in liberty, equality and fraternity or will they let emotion get the better of them?
The nightlife around Republique, which is lined with theatres, nightclubs, bars and restaurants, is among the city's great attractions. Many places remain open up to 3 am. Some shut at 5 in morning, to allow the weekend parties to go on and on.
Yet, on Saturday, deathly calm prevailed in this historic quarter as the people of Paris, France and indeed across Europe woke up to a world that had changed forever. Large parts of the 11th and some parts of the 10th arrondissements, which border Republique, had been barricaded as the forensic experts tried to scoop out every shred of evidence, often mixed with blood, lying in and around the five sites that were targeted by terrorists on Friday night.
The deadliest violence that the French capital has seen in over 70 years and definitely the deadliest ever when the country was not at war has shattered the lives of hundreds and scarred for millions of others.
Great anxiety
Parisians are hurt, worried and scared. They are hurt that their beloved city, often called the City of Lights and the World Capital of Romance, has been turned into a battlefield, comparable to some war-torn city in the Middle East. This is not the first attack to batter the city this year – the memories and scars of January’s attack on Charlie Hebdo, the French weekly, and a Jewish store remain fresh in their minds. They are scared that the city and indeed the country is plunging into a long, nightmarish battle with terrorists, who seem to be able to strike anywhere, anytime.
While French society may be able to get over the wounds of Friday’s attacks, each successive strike divides the French society just a little more, with suspicions rising between the majority Catholic community and Muslim citizens, who form about 10% of the country’s 62 million population and who have long felt isolated and discriminated against. These are anxieties that terror recruiters have exploited.
As the divide becomes deeper, the extreme elements on both sides stand to benefit. Already, opinion polls show that the Front National, the extreme right wing party led by Marine Le Pen, is ahead of the traditional rulers of France – the centre-right Republicans and the centre-left Socialists. For the first time in French history, the FN is leading the polls in regional and Presidential elections, which are slated for December 2015 and May 2017.
Rightwing suggestions
Le Pen has already suggested some severe measures targeting France’s Muslims, though many of the measures have only symbolic value. But Black Friday in Paris is bound to encourage more serious and damaging statements from FN. Even the Republicans and the Socialists would be ill at ease to reject all suggestions of the group, which has called for closing the borders, cracking down on immigrants and pushing for a closed, inward-looking French society and economy. Such utterances are bound to strengthen the hands of the extremists, pushing the country into a vicious circle.
This is where the real challenge lies for the French people. Will they be strong enough to reject a lurch to the extreme right and continue with policies rooted in liberty, equality and fraternity or will they let emotion get the better of them?
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