The world was shaken last night after a terrorist attack on Paris left around 140 people killed. The attack was multifaceted, with gun attacks and bombings going off in multiple locations around Paris. These included two suicide attacks and a bombing near Stade de France, shootings at restaurants across the city centre and a massacre at the Bataclan Concert Hall.
The night of terror in Paris has been the worst act of violence against France since World War Two. President Francoise Hollande has declared a state of national emergency and imposed strict border control checks after the atrocities occurred.
There were eight attackers involved; seven blew themselves up with suicide belts and one was shot dead by police. The authorities are still searching for any possible accomplices in the attacks, described as an “abomination” by President Hollande. Hollande has said that the attacks were “planned and organised from the outside” and that they were an “act of war” organised by the Islamic State militant group.
The attack at the Bataclan music hall suffered the worst casualties. In horrific scenes officers stormed the concert hall where the attackers were being held, but the attackers blew themselves up, leaving around 100 people dead and many others injured. An official described the carnage inside the building, with the attackers tossing explosives indiscriminately at the hostages.
Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama have both responded with messages of solidarity to the atrocities in Paris. Obama condemned the killings as “an attack on all of humanity.” Cameron has offered his “thoughts and prayers” to the victims and their families and tells the British people to “prepare for a number of British casualties”.
There has been international solidarity across the world with Paris, with the hashtag #prayforparis trending on Twitter and the help lines for France being posted widely. Facebook also set up a system whereby those who are in the affected area can post that they are safe, notifying all of their friends and family through the social media page.
Students at the University of Birmingham have been trying to find out if their friends on years abroad in Paris are safe.
Lucy Cottle, a University of Birmingham student studying abroad in Paris this year has said “it was pretty scary as two attacks took place on the streets either side of where I live” and that she could “hear the ambulances last night”. She has told Burn News that everyone has been advised to stay inside and much of the metro would be shut today.
Tomorrow, on Sunday 15th November, our news show The Sunday Edition 1-3pm will be covering the attacks in Paris and how students of the University of Birmingham have been impacted by them.
Are your friends studying in Paris this year? Have you been affected by the attacks in anyway? Get in touch with the Burn FM News Team at news@burnfm.com to tell your story.
Everyone at Burn FM stands in unity with the people of Paris. Our thoughts and prayers are with you – Vive Le France.
