Marking a decade since the deadly Islamist attacks in Paris that killed and wounded hundreds, commemorations took place this week to remember the tragedy, which Europol said triggered “an unprecedented wave of terrorist attacks across Europe”.
Paris marked one of its darkest nights in modern history on November 13th 2015, when a coordinated Islamist terrorist attack linked to the Islamic State saw 10 attackers strike several crowded locations across the capital.
Suicide bombers detonated explosives outside the Stade de France during an international football match, while gunmen launched simultaneous shootings at cafés and restaurants.
The attackers later stormed the Bataclan concert hall, taking hostages and triggering a prolonged standoff before police brought the siege to an end. The attacks left 130 people dead and more than 350 injured. In the years after the attacks, many survivors continued to struggle with trauma, and at least two later died by suicide after developing PTSD.
Most of the men who carried out the assault were young individuals of North African descent who had been drawn into extremist circles in France and Belgium. They had travelled to Islamic State-held territory for training before making their way back to Europe, with some re-entering the continent hidden among migrants.
Investigators said the group selected venues associated with everyday social life to maximise casualties and retaliate for French airstrikes against IS in the Middle East.
The incident prompted a nationwide state of emergency and a major expansion of security operations, influencing counter-terrorism policy across Europe for years to come.
In a social media post, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the nation had not forgotten the atrocity that took place.
“10 years,” he said.
“The pain remains. In brotherhood, for the lives cut short, the wounded, the families and the loved ones, France remembers.”
In a series of follow-up posts, the President shared pictures of memorials and sites of the attacks, saying “France remembers” alongside each one.
“Everything will be done to prevent any new attack and to ruthlessly punish those who would dare to attempt it,” he said in a speech at a commemoration ceremony.
“Eighty-five attacks have been foiled in 10 years, including six this year.”
Meanwhile, Arthur Dénouveaux, the president of Life for Paris, a group representing survivors of the attack, spoke at the commemoration as well.
“One thing unites all victims of terrorism – the will for it to never happen again to anyone else,” he said.
In a statement memorialising the event, Europol said that the incident was “a night of profound tragedy for France and for Europe as a whole.”
“We honour the victims, their families, and all those whose lives were forever changed,” the agency said, noting that “the months that followed witnessed an unprecedented wave of terrorist attacks across Europe.”
“Today, we also remember all those who lost their lives in these acts of violence: the victims of the attacks in Brussels, Nice and Berlin, as well as those who felt victims to subsequent attacks in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden.
“From Charlie Hebdo to Brussels, Nice, Berlin, and Stockholm, each attack serves as a stark reminder that terrorism remains a persistent and evolving threat. Terrorism is a threat that no country can confront alone.”
Europol noted that in response to the “terror wave of 2015 and 2016”, European member states had strengthened their anti-terror measures.
However, they added: “Organised terrorist networks, returning foreign terrorist fighters and online radicalisation demonstrated that the threat had become increasingly transnational and complex.”
Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said that “ten years later, we have not forgotten anything – the victims, the dignity of the families, the relatives and our bruised communities.”
“Today, our thoughts are with them,” she said.
“We pay tribute to them and to the many acts of solidarity and courage of citizens, and first-responders. The fight continues, and we’re more committed than ever to fighting terrorism.”