1 – The victims
When speaking about November 13, commentators often say that 130 people were killed by the attackers. While that is in principle true, it is often pointed out that in reality, they were 133: Guillaume Valette, a survivor of the Bataclan attack suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, hanged himself on November 19, 2017. France‑Élodie Besnier committed suicide on November 6, 2021. Fred Dewilde, another Bataclan survivor, took his own life on May 5, 2024. Beyond the suffering of those who have survived a terrorist attack and those who lost a loved one, terrorist attacks can have long term victims. That raises the question of how society and politics count victims of terrorism beyond those who died during a terrorist attack as well as how we differentiate between those who were physically injured and those who got out unharmed but remain mentally affected.
In addition, the reporting around the attacks tend to speak about the attacks as the „Bataclan attacks“, but the attacks of November 13 happend in six different locations – Bataclan, Stade de France, rue Bichat, rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi, rue de Charonne and boulevard Voltaire. It is understandable that media has limited space and the public limited attention, at the same time it is important to reflect what that kind of reduction does to survivors and affected family members when an attack is reduced to the most famous location.
Finally, as someone working on countering violent extremism, I tend to focus on the perpetrators and give much less attention to the victims of terrorism. That’s why once in a while I try to engage with content that reminds me of their stories and I want to share the following recommendations:
In English: In „Disturbance“ [original titel „Le lambeau“] Philippe Lançon, French journalist, provides a very personal and disturbing account of the Charlie Hebdo attack in January 2015 and his long road to recovery after a third of his face was blown off by the attacker’s bullets.
In French: The new French TV series „Des Vivants“ [Engl. „The living“] follows how seven people who survived as hostages during the terrorist attack at the Bataclan deal with their personal traumas and are united in a unique bond.
Below a picture I took last week in Paris, showing the preparations at the “Garden of November 13”.
