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UP FRONTSaturday 28 November 2015
France honors attack victims in city subdued by mourning
French President Francois Hollande delivers his speech during a ceremony to honor the 130 vic- to the victims bespoke the
tims killed in the Nov. 13 attacks, in the courtyard of the Invalides in Paris, Friday, Nov. 27, 2015. A horrors of Nov. 13.
subdued France paid homage Friday to those killed two weeks ago in the attacks that gripped Throughout Paris, French
Paris in fear and mourning. flags fluttered in windows
and on buses in uncharac-
(Philippe Wojazer/Pool Photo via AP) teristic displays of patriotism side that night; a military
in response to Paris’ sec-
LORI HINNANT read aloud inside the In- vestigators worked to hone ond deadly terror attack
Associated Press valides national monu- in on culprits. The federal this year. But the mood was
PARIS (AP) — A subdued ment, the toll gained new prosecutor’s office said the grim, and the locked-down
France paid homage Friday force. Most, as French Presi- man was arrested a day ceremony at the Invalides
to those killed two weeks dent Francois Hollande earlier in Brussels and was national monument lacked
ago in the attacks that noted, were younger than “charged with terrorist at- the defiance of January,
gripped Paris in fear and 35, killed while enjoying a tacks and taking part in when a million people
mourning, honoring each mild Friday night of music, the activities of a terrorist poured through the streets
of the 130 dead by name food, drinks or sports. The group.” He was not identi- to honor those killed by Is-
as the president pledged youngest was 17. The old- fied and it was not imme- lamic extremist gunmen.
to “destroy the army of est, 68. diately clear if he was one Hollande, who in January
fanatics” who claimed so Meanwhile, in Belgium, au- of two fugitives authorities locked arms with world
many young lives. thorities charged a man have been seeking. leaders in a show of global
With each name and age with “terrorist attacks” as in- France’s somber homage unity against terrorism, sat
alone in a hard-backed
chair in the cavernous In-
valides courtyard, the as-
sembled mourners behind
him as victims’ names were
recited.
France’s military provided
the only images of Friday’s
ceremony, and no one
without an invitation was
permitted inside.
The night of Nov. 13, three
teams of suicide bombers
and gunmen struck across
Paris, beginning at the na-
tional stadium — where
Hollande was among the
spectators — and end-
ing in the storming of the
Bataclan concert venue.
Queen Elizabeth II opens Commonwealth meeting in Malta
Britain Queen Elizabeth II reviews the honor guard during the official welcome ceremony at St. STEPHEN CALLEJA
Anton presidential palace in Valletta, Malta, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015. The 89-year-old British mon- Associated Press
arch has flown to the Mediterranean island of Malta, where she once lived as a young princess, VALLETTA, Malta (AP) —
for a summit of the Commonwealth, the post-colonial international alliance she has helped for Queen Elizabeth II opened
decades to unite. the Commonwealth sum-
mit Friday on the Mediter-
(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) ranean island of Malta — a
meeting that will focus on
climate change and the
threat of extremist violence.
The 89-year-old British mon-
arch praised the accom-
plishments of the 53-nation
Commonwealth and her
happy associations with
Malta. “Prince Philip and
I first came to live here in
Malta in 1949, the year
the Commonwealth was
founded,” she said, hail-
ing a vast advancement in
freedom and human rights
in the decades since then.
“I have been privileged to
witness this transformation
and to consider its pur-
pose.”
The Commonwealth links
In all, 130 people died and
hundreds were injured. The
crowd at the stadium shak-
ily sang France’s national
anthem as they filed out-
band played the Marseil-
laise again on Friday, linger-
ing slightly on the refrain:
“Aux armes, citoyens!”
The courtyard went silent
after the reading of the
names finished, broken fi-
nally by a mournful cello.
Hollande stared straight
ahead, before finally rising
to speak.
“To all of you, I solemnly
promise that France will do
everything to destroy the
army of fanatics who com-
mitted these crimes,” Hol-
lande said.
The speech was dedicated
above all to the dead and
France’s young.
“The ordeal has scarred
us all, but it will make us
stronger. I have confi-
dence in the generation to
come. Generations before
have also had their iden-
tity forged in the flower of
youth. The attack of Nov.
13 will remain in the memo-
ry of today’s youth as a ter-
rible initiation in the hard-
ness of the world. But also
as an invitation to combat
it by creating a new com-
mitment,” he said.q
more than 2 billion people
on five continents, includ-
ing large countries like In-
dia, Australia and Canada
and small island states like
Tonga and Vanuatu.
French President Francois
Hollande briefly left grief-
stricken France Friday to
travel to Malta to urge
Commonwealth leaders
to take action on climate
change during the United
Nations climate confer-
ence that begins in Paris
Monday and will be at-
tended by some 150 world
leaders. He said that man is
his own worst enemy, when
it comes to both terrorism
and the environment.
“We are mobilizing our-
selves in favor of the envi-
ronment for the planet,”
he said, while expressing
his fear that a deal may be
blocked by a small group
of countries.q