A World in Mourning for Paris
The world reacts to the series of terror attacks in Paris, France.
by Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Two women mourn the victims of the recent terror attacks outside of the Petit Cambodge
December 3, 2015
On Friday November 13, 2015 six terror attacks were carried out by Islamic State militants in Paris, France. The attacks killed 129 people and injured hundreds more . Of the ten known attackers, all but one is dead. Raids have been conducted all over Paris in an attempt to find the remaining attacker.
Countries all over the world paid tribute to those killed in the initial attacks by lighting up their national monuments in the colors of the French flag and holding vigils in remembrance of the victims.
The Denver County Building lights up its exterior with the French flag’s blue, white, and red.
A ceremony honoring Diesel, a French police dog killed in the Saint-Denis raids, was also held after the panic of the recent attacks.
France is not the only country on high alert since the recent terror attacks. In Belgium, Brussels remains on lockdown. Twenty-one people have been arrested by Belgian police due to suspicious activity. Schools and universities, the Belgian metro system, and tourist sites have been shut down in response to the heightened terror level.
In the United States and in Canada, several mosques have been the target of hate crimes. An Eiffel Tower was drawn on the side of one mosque and others have been vandalized or have received threats.
In response to the attacks, France and Russia have increased airstrikes on the Islamic State. Russian President Vladimir Putin has “vowed action against terror”, after a Russian passenger plane was downed by the Islamic State.
Other countries have also decided that it has become necessary to get involved in the fight against IS (Islamic State). Prime Minister David Cameron said that it was his “firm conviction” that Great Britain should be involved. Cameron followed up on this promise by visiting a memorial to the victims at the Bataclan Theater, at which one Briton was killed, and accompanied by the French President Francois Hollande.
Candidates of the 2016 presidential race responded to the attacks as well. Republican Candidate Ben Carson referred them to the Syrian refugees as dogs saying, “If there is a rabid dog running around in your neighborhood, you’re probably not going to assume something good about that dog”. Republican candidate Donald Trump said he was not opposed to having a “Muslim Database” and when questioned about ID cards, he did not rule it out. Other candidates have said that the U.S. should only “admit Christian Syrians”.
Almost two dozen U.S. states have pushed for bans against accepting refugees. Only seven states have committed to accepting refugees including; Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, and Hawaii. Of the remaining forty-three, eleven have said they will not commit to taking or refusing refugees. The Obama administration had hoped to resettle about 10,000 refugees by this time next year.
