On Friday, Nov. 13, students and other French nationals or French speakers gathered in Union Square in New York to hold a candlelight vigil for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Mashable Editor, Brian Ries, posted a video from the gathering, where attendees huddled together to sing the French national anthem “La Marseillaise.”
Video of French exchange students signing together in NY's Union Square. Candles burning at center. #ParisAttacks pic.twitter.com/WCxWK8L1mu
— Brian Ries (@moneyries) November 14, 2015More photos of the vigil were posted to social media with hashtags like #newyork4paris and #prayers4paris.
Other New Yorkers expressed their grief for the tragic event as well. Also on Friday, Nov. 13, Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed One World Trade Center to light up in blue, white and red “as we stand in solemn solidarity with the people of France, just as they have done for us in our own times of tragedy,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“We join them in mourning those who were killed, and in praying for those who were injured or lost loved ones. And we continue to stand side by side with them in our commitment to a free and peaceful world,” he said.
Mayor de Blasio also released a statement saying: “The people of New York City are heartbroken to see our sister city of Paris shaken again by these thoughtless acts of violence, and we stand in solidarity with the residents of Paris and with Mayor Hidalgo during this tragic time.”
According to an article on NBC New York, eight attackers targeted at least six locations in the French capital. Police said they killed one of the terrorists and the others committed an explosive suicide.
Dozens of people were also killed inside of the Paris concert hall Le Bataclan, and even more victims were killed in shootings and explosions at other sites across the city.
“These were cowardly acts of evil by people who have inexplicably chosen to believe in radical hatred above all else,” Cuomo said. “We reject that kind of extremism – choosing instead the bonds of liberty, equality and fraternity that bring us together.”
NBC reports French President Francois Hollande vowed a “merciless” response against the perpetrators, as ISIS claimed responsibility.
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