Paris Grapples With the Remembrance of Terror

As the City of Light marks the third anniversary of the 2015 terror attacks, Paris is grappling with how to remember the victims of such violence.

The city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, has proposed a memorial to the victims of the Bataclan attack, in which 89 people were killed. However, the project has been met with resistance from some survivors and families of the victims, who fear that it will become a tourist attraction and not a meaningful tribute to the dead.

"We don't want a monument, we want a place of remembrance," said Sylvie Larmon, whose sister died in the Bataclan attack. "We want to remember the victims, not the terrorists."

The debate over how to remember the victims of the terror attacks is not limited to the Bataclan attack. There are also plans to create a memorial to the victims of the 2016 Nice truck attack, in which 86 people were killed.

"We need to remember the victims, but we also need to remember the lives they lived," said French President Emmanuel Macron. "We need to remember the families, the friends, the loved ones who were torn apart by violence."

The question of how to remember the victims of terror attacks is a complex one, and there is no easy answer. However, one thing is clear: the people of Paris will continue to grapple with this question in the years to come.

Author's summary: The city of Paris struggles to find the right way to commemorate the victims of terrorist attacks, balancing the need to remember the dead with the risk of turning the memorials into tourist attractions.

Sciences Po — 2025-11-22

Paris Grapples With the Remembrance of Terror

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