Video: France holds memorial for Paris attacks victims

Video: France holds memorial for Paris attacks victims
A solemn ceremony has been held in France on Friday to commemorate the victims of the Paris attacks on 13 November, in which 130 people were killed.
2 min read
27 November, 2015

A solemn ceremony was held on Friday to remember the victims of the Paris attacks, with President Francois Hollande vowing that France would respond to the "army of fanatics" with more songs, concerts and shows.

"We will not give in either to fear or to hate," said Hollande in the courtyard of the Invalides buildings in central Paris, speaking to 2,000 dignitaries and those injured in the violence.

    
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"To all of you, I solemnly promise that France will do everything to destroy the army of fanatics that committed these crimes," he said.

The ceremony began with the president's arrival on a cold and misty day to the sound of the national anthem La Marseillaise being played by the Republican Guard.

Photos of the 130 people killed in the attacks of 13 November played on a black screen, while singers gave a stirring rendition of the classic ballad Quand on n'a que l'amour ["When All We Have Is Love"] by Belgian songwriter Jacques Brel.

Hollande said "130 destinies have been stolen, 130 laughs that will never be heard again," adding that they had come from more than 50 places in France and 17 countries beyond its borders.

The majority of the victims were under 35 years old, he said, highlighting that the attacks targeted popular nightlife areas of the French capital, including bars, restaurants and a concert hall.

Among the crowd were some of the 350 people injured in the attacks, many in wheelchairs.

The coordinated suicide bomb and gun attacks on bars and restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France stadium two weeks ago were the worst attacks on French soil since the Second World War.