“I have the impression that it will be okay but in reality it still touches me”

Six years after the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015, the victims and their relatives pay tribute on Saturday to those affected at the Stade de France, on the Parisian terraces and in the concert hall of the Bataclan. Prime Minister Jean Castex is to visit the various places targeted by the attacks, accompanied by several members of the government. In 2021, these commemorations are taking place in a particular context since the trial of these attacks has been underway since September.

>> Trial of November 13: the logbook of an ex-hostage of the Bataclan, week 9

Each year, in November, Yann, a survivor of the shooting on the terrace of Petit Cambodge, feels the pain rising. “Sometimes I feel like I’m going to be fine but in reality it still touches me”, he testifies. This year is no exception. For him who comes to the trial every day, the commemorations will have a particular symbolism. “It’s important for me that we meet this year. It’s a bit like what happens with the trial even if not everyone is coming.”

“For those going to trial, it feels good to be together facing all of this. I think it will be a bit the same with the commemorations.”

Yann, victim of the November 13 attacks

to franceinfo

At the end of the morning, the president of the association of victims Life for Paris will speak on the forecourt of the town hall of the 11th arrondissement of Paris. This moment will be special for two reasons: “First, we have not been able to commemorate the fifth anniversary as we wanted in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is therefore a naturally stronger expectation of being able to meet again”, explains Arthur Dénouveaux.

The legal context also obviously has an impact. “The trial, including the five weeks of testimony, certainly changed the way society understood November 13.” He believes that the overall nature of these attacks came out a lot from the hearings. “Each year, the message at the time of the speech was to recall that it is not the Bataclan attacks but those of the Stade de France, the terraces and the Bataclan. I believe that we will no longer need to hammer it because this trial anchored it once and for all in the collective memory. “

For some victims, it will be necessary to maintain this collective memory so as not to sink into oblivion. “We look to the future”, explains José Munoz, Victor’s father, killed on the terrace of La Belle Equipe. “We are afraid that in five or six years, it will become one element among many others”, explains this bereaved father who says that this is the reason why he joined the association of victims 13onze15. “The hundred or so members who will come to eat with us on November 13 confirm that there is a fraternity that exists and it is superb”, he consoles himself, asserting that he will fight “always” for memory.

However, it specifies the victims and their relatives, “[font] this commemoration every day “. He, for six years, has gone at least three times a week to meditate at the grave of his son, buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery.