Around 5 p.m. EST on November 13, 2015, a series of coordinated attacks sent Paris into chaos. News shot out across the world, setting social media and news sources ablaze as the world set its anxious sights on Paris. 72 hours later, the chaos hasn’t ceased, leaving ample opportunity for rumors, false accusations and other falsities to bubble up and warp our perceptions of the tragic attack on Paris when clarity and truth is of the greatest importance. For those having trouble separating fact and fiction, we’ll go through what actually happened, what was made up, and what we can expect in the coming days.
What We Know
According to the New York Times, the attacks were carried out in three parts, starting with suicide bombers detonating their jackets dangerously close to France’s soccer stadium, Stade de France. The explosion was caught on tape during a friendly match between France and Germany, shocking fans during the game’s first half.
Initially the audience had no idea of the events unfolding in the city, the teams’ coaches being the first notified of the attacks while their players rested inside their locker rooms at halftime. France’s president, François Hollande, was in the game’s attendance and was swiftly evacuated before the start of the game’s second half, but the players and audience remained completely unaware of the situation (there’s very spotty signal in stadiums) until after the game had ended around 11 p.m., when fans slowly began to realize the severity of the situation amid the regular cheers and celebrations of the game. Fans were evacuated through the stadium’s tunnels, some even singing the French national anthem as they left.
More attacks unfolded in restaurants near the stadium, where one eyewitness said all the diners threw themselves to the ground when a gunmen began shooting towards the restaurant’s windows. One of the bloodiest sites of attack was at the Bataclan concert hall, where hundreds had gathered for a show. Two to three gunmen fired into the crowds and held hundreds hostage. When a raid by French police ended, the causalities were staggering: over 300 were left injured, with 100 of them in critical condition, and as of the writing of this article, the death toll is 129.
The attackers, which is reported to have been eight separate men, were eventually killed or detonated the suicide vests as police closed in on them. Their identities are still unconfirmed but so far there are reports that one was French, one was Egyptian and one was Syrian. Countries were on high alert for potential attacks on their own cities while Hollande ordered France’s borders closed and declared a national state of emergency. For hours officials scrambled to identify who was responsible for the attack until ISIS, or the Islamic State, claimed responsibility and declared the attacks “the first of a storm”, according to the New York Times. Now reports that the men took advantage of the Syrian refugee trails to get into the country are bubbling up, something that will inevitably complicate the situation even more in the terror and suspicion that is following the attacks.
Debunked Rumors
Amid all the confusion and panic, rumors started circulating within the media and across social networking sites. Among the most popular misattributions were pictures of people crowding the streets of Paris holding up signs saying “Not Afraid”, but these pictures are actually from January following the Charlie Hebdo bombing. There were reports that Paris had darkened the Eiffel Tower in mourning for the lives lost, then a rebuttal by people saying the Tower had simply turned off according to schedule at 1 a.m., and then a confirmation that the Eiffel Tower had ceased all operations indefinitely and will remain dark through Saturday night in response to the tragedy.
Another unsettling rumor was that a refugee camp in France nicknamed “Jungle” had been set on fire in retaliation to the attacks, but the fire was due to an electrical problem and had no association to the bombing.
What’s Next?
The future seems dangerous and uncertain. Our generation has grown up in a post-9/11 atmosphere that has fundamentally changed the international community and compromised the guarantee of safety within our own countries. Syrian refugees trying to flee the same thing Paris citizens experienced will face even more treacherous obstacles in their quest for asylum, and racial and religious tensions are sure to rise to even more critical levels. In times like this, when anxiety is at a breaking point and people are quick to choose scapegoats, it’s important to remember that the actions of the few and the radical don’t represent the mentalities of every member of a race, nationality or religion.
Instead we should focus our energies on helping the families left behind, the survivors, and on movements like #PorteOuverte, where Parisians opened the doors of their homes for people trapped in the city with no way to go home, and #StrandedintheUS, where Americans opened the doors of their homes for French people unable to fly back because of the attacks. In a world where the gap between events and the following spread of news is almost instantaneous, it’s important to stay informed with reliable sources and prevent the spread of false information that can cause more damage than what’s already been done.