Paris – A Week On.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a week since the Paris attacks, so much has changed but so much has also stayed the same.

Last week I got home and was scrolling through my social media, there were lots of mentions about Paris.  That is truly the power of social media, as I rarely watch the news I could have gone to bed unaware of the tragic events which were unfolding.  At the time I put the TV on the bombs had gone off at the football stadium, shootings had happened in restaurants and there was a hostage situation at a music gig.

It was hard to believe all this happened in such a short space of time.  For the next hour I watched the horror unfold as people were killed in the Bataglan where the Eagles of Death Metal were playing.  It was terrible to watch the live footage.

Of course, a week on, there has been so much talked about.  The things which could have been done different, the politics, the refugees, the men on the run, the female suicide bomber at a later date, religion.  There are so many thoughts, so many opinions.

What struck me the most about the attacks was the victims were all doing things I have done.  Although the terrorists didn’t get into the stadium – I’ve watched many sporting events.  I’ve drunk wine and had dinner on the pavements in restaurants in Paris and I’ve seen the Eagles of Death Metal and many other live music acts.  That for me made it seem the most heart breaking, it was normal things which people were doing.

I hope we can break down the terrorist organisations, I hope those who survived are able to move forward in their lives and most of all I hope the victims of these attacks are never forgotten.  There are many attacks happening around the world right now but I think Paris got to people’s hearts as it’s so close to home.  A little too close but one thing is for certain we can’t allow the terrorists to win, we have to get back to normal life, we have to feel safe and we have to remember they are a minority group using religion in a way it’s not intended.