Ten years after the November 13, 2015 attacks, France remembers the night a series of coordinated attacks transformed Paris into a scene of violence and grief. The commemoration began this Thursday in front of the Stade de France, where Sophie Dias described the “void that never closes” after losing her father, Manuel Dias, the first fatality of the massacre. The attacks left 132 dead—including two survivors who later committed suicide—and hundreds wounded, marking families with a temporal division between “before” and “after.”
On the night of November 13, armed men and suicide bombers from the Islamic State attacked in rapid succession: explosions near the stadium, shootings on café terraces, and the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall, where 90 people died during a three-hour siege. The response of the French authorities tightened security measures and fostered a solidarity that persists a decade later.
During the initial ceremony, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron accompanied the Dias family to the stadium gates, laid a wreath, and observed a minute of silence. The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, also participated in the event. The President visited, in sequence, each of the attack sites: the Carillon and Petit Cambodge cafés in the 10th arrondissement, then La Bonne Bière, Le Comptoir Voltaire, and La Belle Équipe in the 11th arrondissement, and finally the Bataclan, following a protocol that prioritizes the presence of family members.
The public vigil extended to the Place de la République, where Parisians placed candles, flowers, and handwritten notes at the foot of the statue of Marianne, a national symbol. On Wednesday evening, the area and surrounding buildings were illuminated in blue, white, and red, and a vigil was held in anticipation of the anniversary. “Ten years later, the emotion remains undiminished, and hope must be shared despite the pain and absence,” Hidalgo said during the event.
This year's commemorative events included the inauguration of the November 13th Memorial Garden in front of City Hall, a stone enclosure with granite blocks that evoke the sites of the attacks and bear the names of the victims. After nightfall, the Eiffel Tower will once again be illuminated in the national colors, and church bells such as those at Notre-Dame will toll to remember what the Archbishop of Paris described as"a long night of sorrow."
In statements reported by broadcaster TF1, former Prime Minister Manuel Valls admitted to remembering “every minute” of the attack. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned that the terrorist threat remains “very high,” although he considers an operation as large and coordinated as the one in 2015 less likely. According to Nuñez, individual radicalization on French soil is now a greater concern.
For the survivors and their families, the anniversary means reopening old wounds. Arthur Dénouveaux, a Bataclan survivor and leader of the Life for Paris association, explained: “The tenth anniversary is here, and the emotions and tension are everywhere for us survivors. You never fully heal. You just learn to live differently.”
The legal proceedings, which took place between 2021 and 2022, concluded with a life sentence for Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving assailant, and sentences for 19 other defendants. Many family members and victims acknowledge that, although there was accountability, the trauma and the daily process of rebuilding their lives persist.
Throughout the memorial services, authorities and families emphasized three key messages: remembering the victims, recognizing the rescuers, and protecting the everyday moments—soccer, music, and sharing a meal—that the attackers sought to destroy. The organizers summarized the purpose of the events: mourning without spectacle and remembrance with space for the living.
