France Commemorates 10 Years Since Paris Terror Attacks

France is preparing to mark a decade since its deadliest attack in recent history, with the only surviving perpetrator serving a life sentence and plans underway for a long-term memorial.

On the night of 13 November 2015, jihadists carried out coordinated shootings and suicide bombings across Paris, killing 130 people. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility. Around 90 victims died at the Bataclan concert hall, where the US rock band Eagles of Death Metal were performing. Dozens more were killed in cafés and restaurants across the city, and one person died near the Stade de France, just outside Paris, as crowds watched a football match between France and Germany.

Several commemorative ceremonies are scheduled for Thursday, with President Emmanuel Macron expected to address the nation.

The 36-year-old Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving member of the ten-person jihadist cell, is serving a life sentence, after nine others died either by suicide bombings or in confrontations with police.

Former President François Hollande, who was in the stadium crowd on that night, reflected in a recent interview with AFP, “France over these years has been able to stand united and overcome it all.” Hollande was evacuated from the stadium but later addressed the nation on television, describing the attacks as “horror” and declaring France “at war” with jihadists and their self-proclaimed caliphate spanning Syria and Iraq.

‘Democracy Always Wins’

Hollande testified during the 148-day trial that led to Abdeslam’s conviction in 2022. He recalled telling the defendants, who also included individuals accused of logistical support, that they had been provided defence lawyers despite committing “the unforgivable”.

“We are a democracy, and democracy always wins in the end,” he told them.

By 2019, US-backed forces in eastern Syria had dismantled the last remnants of the IS proto-state that had inspired French recruits and the Paris attacks.

Abdeslam remains in custody, and French anti-terror authorities reported on Saturday that three people were detained in connection with a suspected terror plot linked to him.

In Paris, survivors and families of the deceased have tried to rebuild their lives.

Eva, whose surname is withheld, had her leg amputated below the knee after being wounded at La Belle Equipe, where 21 people were killed. She has returned to the capital’s café terraces but insists she will “never again” have her back to the street.

Commemorative plaques across Paris bear the names of those who died, including two who took their own lives in the aftermath of the attacks.

Memorial and Museum

Plans are underway to preserve the memory of the victims in the Terrorism Memorial Museum, set to open in 2029. It will house around 500 objects linked to the attacks, many donated by bereaved families.

Items include a concert ticket from the Bataclan donated by a mother who lost her only daughter, the unfinished guitar of a musician killed at the concert, and a bullet-riddled menu from La Belle Equipe, still showing the words “Happy Hour”.

The events of that night have also been recounted in books and screenplays.

Nadia Mondeguer, whose daughter Lamia died at La Belle Equipe aged 30, admitted she had mixed feelings about the ten-year anniversary. “I’ve been feeling like a fever coming over me… the adrenaline starting to rise again,” she said. She expressed frustration at being treated as a “spectator” in official ceremonies but added she would attend to meet other relatives she now considers her “extended family”.