Friday 9 January 2015

Paris, le 7 janvier 2015. Nous sommes Charlie.

Wednesday 7 January, gunmen shot dead twelve people and wounded several others, some critically so, at the Paris office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in what is now with a good degree of certainty established as a militant Islamist attack. Among the dead are four of the magazine's well-known cartoonists, its editor, as well as two police officers. On Wednesday evening, while thousands took to the streets in France, there were only about forty of us freezing on Notre-Dame market place trying to keep the candles going in the wind but it was a very warm human moment...
'Charlie Hebdo is part of a venerable tradition in French journalism going back to the scandal sheets that denounced Marie-Antoinette in the run-up to the French Revolution'. Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris.

Mercredi soir... nous n'étions qu'une quarantaine à faire tenter de brûler les bougies dans le vent glacial mais il y avait beaucoup de chaleur humaine...
And then yesterday evening at the town hall, on a national mourning day that was also the day of another shooting just outside Paris in the aftermath of which a young policewoman died, there was an official gathering with a better turnout.

Et puis, hier soir, journée de deuil national, après une deuxième fusillade à Montrouge, il y eu plus de monde pour le rassemblement républicain à la mairie.
The mayor of Versailles and several other elected officials were present. VDP's pic of the mayor, François de Mazières, is terrible, sorry.

Le maire de Versailles, François de Mazières, était présent aux côtés de plusieurs élus. La photo du maire de VDP n'est pas terrible !
On the steps of the town hall...
 As everywhere else in France, the Tricolor flag is flying at half mast over all official places, in this case the préfecture building that you can read about here. Official cars were parked outside it in the evening for what was in all likelihood a crisis meeting, though there was also an ecumenical meeting. The traditional official new year's wishes ceremony was cancelled yesterday.

Comme partout en France, le drapeau tricolore est en berne sur la préfecture. Il y avait des voitures officielles garées devant le beau bâtiment hier soir sans doute pour une réunion de crise après l'annulation des vœux du préfet des Yvelines, à moins que cela n'ait été pour la réunion œcuménique.
Préfecture des Yvelines Versailles
VDP est Charlie. (VDP is Charlie.)

29 comments:

William Kendall said...

The candles seem to give these shots a degree of intimacy.

A terrible day yesterday, but at the same time, it shows the fortitude of France to stand in defiance of the cowards who would try to drag us all down into the abyss.

Lowell said...

Sadder than sad! I'm afraid if I say too much I'll say too much.

Je suis Charlie !

Revrunner said...

Madness.

Stefan Jansson said...

So horrible. I don't know what else to say.

Je suis Charlie.

Olivier said...

tous ces hommages a charlie, des moments tres fort et prenant

Nous sommes tous Chalie

Michelle said...

nothing but sadness

Lois said...

Oh Ciel, thank you for sharing these pictures. Thinking of you. Please stay safe.

Jack said...

So sorry, Ciel. France seemed to be spared the Islamist madness that has plagued so many other countries. I hope that the Charlie incident is an aberration.

Dave said...

Its dreadful. So very sad.

Gunn said...

I guess I said what I feel..... via my Stavanger Daily Photo blog.

I think about YOU nearly every time I watch the news.
I also wonder what kids think.... those who have been out in the streets....

Oakland Daily Photo said...

We follow the news with intense interest and profound familiarity. Feeling sadness and solidarity.

cieldequimper said...

@ Jack: the threat has been very real in France for a long time and a lot of attacks have been stopped by investigations before they happened. It was only a matter of time.

Julie said...

If memory serves, there have been a number of what they term "lone wolf" attacks over the last 24 months. I have read about them way down here. I agree: just a matter of time. For maximum effect this time, they chose their target well.

Aimeecakes said...

They really are worrying times at the moment, very very sad.

VP said...

I am not sure this is the way to stop or impress terrorists: wishful thinking doesn't work against jihad. They keep coming and going at their pleasure, and most of them are well known to the authorities. Here, there and all over Europe...

cieldequimper said...

@ VP: I agree completely. And yet as an individual person, there isn't much more I can do at the moment than say that a pen and paper are also education tools and that I don't want to return to pre-enlightenment times.

Wayne said...

Your photos capture the moment brilliantly. Everyone stands beside you in this solemn time.

Karl said...

Ich würde mir heute ehrlich mal andere Fotos wünschen... so traurig...

Anonymous said...

The world has officially gone mad. Watching it now on TV, absolute madness.

Dina said...

Very touching photos. Thanks for being there and now sharing them.

And now, this afternoon, another attack and more dead. Will it ever end?

Sharon said...

Such sad days! And right now I'm listening to the activity that is happing in Paris right now. I do wonder when this madness will stop. How do so many people get so twisted into thinking violence is a solution or a form of expression.

Thérèse said...

Il faut non seulement s'unir mais agir pour un monde meilleur en commencant par une France meilleure. Dure est la tache.

Unknown said...

Beautiful, beautiful captures, Ciel!

Small City Scenes said...

Tragic!!
A great tribut with much information.
Words escape me now.
MB

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Beautiful and tres poignant images Ciel. Vive France and peace in the world.

RedPat said...

Terrible times in the world.

Birdman said...

... and all this over some cartoons? There's grand sadness on the edge of the world.

Gemma Wiseman said...

The candles breaking through the darkness are so symbolic of a need to do more than make sense of such tragedy. They symbolise a need to keep our own lives moving forward as we wish them to evolve.

EG CameraGirl said...

It hs been a sad time in France and in many places around the world, including Canada. I wish I knew the answer to how to stop this hatred. Why do the extemists hate us so much and why do so many Westerners hate Muslims? This is not going to be resolved easily, I fear.