Praying for Paris

Over the past week, our thoughts and prayers have been with Paris and the French in all of our Catholic primary schools.

 

On the evening of Friday 13th November 2015, a number of attacks took place in Paris, the capital city of France.

The French police and army were called in to help keep people safe.

Sadly over one hundred people were killed.

France declared an emergency and 1,500 soldiers helped police across the city.

Three days of national mourning were announced.

Immediate support was shown in Paris...

Parisians offered shelter to those who had been left stranded by the Paris attacks and by the subsequent halt of public transport with the hashtag #portesouvertes which means "open doors".  

Parisians used the twitter hashtag #rechercheParis to find missing loved ones.

Despite warnings to stay indoors, brave Parisians ventured out to hospitals around their city and waited in long lines to donate blood following the attacks.  They wanted to help in a concrete way.  There was an amazing response and the blood banks were full with true gifts of life !  #dondusang

 

 

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the series of attacks in Paris so people started the #terrorhasnoreligion and #notinmyname hashtags to try and counter anti-Muslim sentiments blaming the whole of Islam for the attacks.

 

British Muslims began a hashtag social media campaign to denounce the actions being carried out in the name of Islam at the hands of the terror group. They wanted to say that ISIS does not represent their faith with the hashtag #NotInMyName.

Support was also shown from all around the world.

Many countries showed that they're standing side by side with France, by sending messages of support.   

UK Prime Minister David Cameron spoke out following the attacks in Paris.  He spoke about his shock and said Britain will "stand united" with France. 

“Nous sommes solidaires avec vous. 

Nous sommes tous ensemble.”

US President Barack Obama said America "will stand with France". 

The French President, Francois Hollande, said France will "stay determined, unified and pull together".

Pope Francis expressed how he was deeply saddened by the terrorist attacks in Paris.  He asked the world to join him in prayer for the victims and their families.

The morning after the attack, a German pianist pulled his piano with a bike up to rue Richard Lenoir ten meters from the Bataclan theater where many were killed.  Then he began to play 'Imagine', a famous song about peace by John Lennon. Around the pianist, a crowd began to gather.

Later on that day, a moment of silence was observed at David Beckham's UNICEF charity match for the victims of the atrocities in Paris.

The European Commission in Brussels issued a statement saying:

"The European Union is deeply shocked and in mourning after the terrorist attacks in Paris. It is an attack against us all. We will face this threat together with all necessary means and ruthless determination.

France is a great and strong nation. Its values of liberty, equality and fraternity inspired and inspire the European Union. Today we stand united with the French people and the Government of France. This shameful act of terrorism will only achieve the opposite of its purpose, which was to divide, frighten, and sow hatred.

Good is stronger than evil. Everything that can be done at European level to make France safe will be done. We will do what is necessary to defeat extremism, terrorism and hatred."

In the evening, candlelit vigils were held around the world as people continued to show their support for Paris.

Crowds gathered in London's Trafalgar Square, where the French national anthem and other French songs were sung. Similar vigils were held in places like Berlin, Moscow, Sydney, Rio, and elsewhere. 

When Paris turned out the lights of the famous Eiffel Tower as a sign of mourning, cities around the world showed their support by lighting their iconic buildings with the colours of the French flag - red, white and blue.

On Monday 16th November, after the French president Francois Hollande had addressed parliament, members of the National Assembly sang the national anthem, La Marseillaise.

 
All Europeans were invited to join in one minute of silence in memory of the victims at noon on Monday, November 16th. 

We Europeans will all remember November 13th 2015 as a European day of mourning. 

Also on Monday, Frenchman Antoine Leiris made a powerful tribute to his wife, who died in the Bataclan theatre during the Paris attacks.  He told the attackers, "Vous n'aurez pas ma haine."  (You will not have my hatred.)

 

The Eiffel Tower, closed since Friday's terrorist attacks, reopened to the public on Monday afternoon and was illuminated in the French tricolour, blue, white and red for three nights. 

In addition, the city's motto 'fluctuat nec megritur' was projected onto the tower. The motto translates literally as 'tossed but not sunk', but is usually rendered as 'it is beaten by the waves but does not sink' - a message which seems particularly appropriate as the city struggles to make sense of Friday's horrific attacks.

Throughout the week, the world of sport paid its respects with most sporting occasions holding a minute's silence.  We were reminded that sport has no colour and no religion.

On Wednesday, 18th November, players and fans of both England and France sang La Marseillaise on a night of emotion at Wembley:

In our schools, several classes produced some display work around our theme "Peace for Paris".  Here are some examples from Y2 :

We also prayed for peace for Paris and throughout the world during class prayers, assemblies and masses:

We asked ourselves the following question :

"What will you do today to build tolerance and peace ?"

Then we reflected on this question whilst watching the following thought provoking images on this slideshow:

Have a listen to this French song by Grégoire, "Le Même Soleil" (The Same Sun). The lyrics can be found here: http://www.lyricsmania.com/soleil_lyrics_gregoire.html

The song stresses the importance of how even though we are all different, we are all basically the same.

What not have a go at singing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise to show your solidarity with France :

 

If you would like to learn more about what has been happening in Paris, then why not visit CBBC Newsround :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/34819597 

L'Armistice du 11 Novembre 1918

Across all KS2 classes this November, we have been discussing how the symbol of remembrance in the UK is the poppy and in France it is the bleuet, or cornflower.

We discussed how the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One.

Pupils were surprised to learn that the signing of the Armistice took place in Compiègne, in France.

The pupils were very interested to learn that cornflowers symbolise Remembrance Day in France.  Like the poppy that symbolises Remembrance Day in the UK, this flower carpeted the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium where so many lost their lives during WWI.  The flowering of the cornflower, like the poppy, brought life, hope, colour and reassurance to those still fighting.

The poppy and the cornflower therefore became a symbol of the resilience of life, life that went on in the mud of the trenches !

We discussed how in November, French people wear a blue cornflower in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for us during wars. 

 

Pupils also enjoyed discovering that the bleuet was also chosen as the symbol of remembrance because of the vivid blue colour of the uniforms of the soldiers, who were nicknamed “Les Bleuets”.

  

We then discussed how Remembrance Day is celebrated in France.

 

Unlike in the UK, November 11th is a national holiday in France.  Ceremonies are held at war memorials throughout France to commemorate the signing of the Armistice.

 

In Paris respects are paid at the Arc de Triomphe. 

This is a famous war memorial.  

Two minutes of silence are observed at 11am.

Pupils found it beautiful to see that cornflowers, poppies and ox-eye daisies continue to grow on the battlefields, where they form a permanent tricolore of remembrance.

After discussing how Remembrance Day is celebrated in France, we learnt some vocabulary linked to this topic:

We then concluded our lesson by writing a simple prayer in French.  Each class displayed their prayers on the classroom altar where they will stay throughout the month of November.  Here are a few examples :

"Ne les oublions pas" 

(Lest we forget)