The French flag at half mast
France is in mourning following the carnage in Nice.
On Thursday evening, I was with some friends, old and new, in Lille Esplanade. A large crowd had gathered to watch the customary Bastille Day Fireworks. The firework display duly started at 11 pm, with the happy crowd cheering with each spectacular flash of light in the sky…
At around the same time, in the southern French city of Nice, a lorry ploughed into the crowds celebrating Bastille Day. The death toll, at the moment, stands at 84, with lots more injured.
Three days of national mourning have been announced and the president has asked the parliament to extend the state of emergency for a further 3 months.
These are sad times for all of us…
Here is a photo Jacques, who I met for the first time on Thursday evening, took at around the same time, and sent me and the others by email later. I remember him telling us that the sight of people with their children on their shoulders reminded him of when his own children were little and he would carry them on his shoulders on such occasions. He has called this photo “le feu d’artifice : un jeu d’enfance”. (I leave it to our French members to translate the name for us.)
Let’s try to make this planet of ours a better world where no children are killed, not matter where in the world, no matter by whom, no matter under what pretext…
May I just say how shocked and deeply saddened we are over here that so many innocent people should lose their lives in Nice. I think we were all numbed by the horror of the event when we heard the news. The thoughts and prayers of the people of the UK are with you. Never mind whether we are in or out of the EU, the despicable nature of this terrorist act goes beyond such petty matters and our response must be, and always will be, our shared and common humanity. Please, all of you, and your families and friends,… Read more »
This picture is a very nice one and reminds me also my 14th of July when I was a child. I think most French people have this kind of memories when you were too small and you begged your father to carry you on his shoulders to watch the fireworks. This terrible attack is a horror! I don’t know if we should pay attention to abandoned cars and bags because this kind of terrorism is more vicious. It happens in very common situations and when people gather for happy events. Do we have to stop to gather? Do we have… Read more »
It was terrible!
I am so sorry for those who have lost their lives, and for their families.