Following the events of Friday 13th November in Paris, the streets were quiet. The terraces of the bars and restaurants, which form a crucial part of the social and cultural life of this city, were not as crowded as usual. A few defiant and tentative Parisians continued to drink coffee, eat food and chat on terraces like those targeted on Friday night. Public buildings and parks closed. Sirens were heard with unnerving frequency, an aural reminder of the tension. The city of lights was darkened, frightened and reeling after the worst terrorist attackS experienced in Western Europe in over a decade.

Like many residents of Paris, I was in close proximity to the attacks. I spent my Friday night in an apartment located just 100 metres from both Casa Nostra and Le Petit Cambodge, two of the restaurants targeted. I was with two others. We had decided to stay in, but we deliberated aimlessly between cooking and going out to a pizzeria incidentally located right opposite Le Petit Cambodge. When we realised the carnage which was unfolding across Paris, we locked ourselves in, nervously barricaded the door and waited, obsessively following the news and checking in with our friends across the city.

Although I’ve only lived here for a few months, the 10th and 11th arrrondissements have been an important area for me. The area around the Canal St Martin is a busy and lively neighbourhood which has been gentrified in recent years, and is now frequented primarily by young people from a range of different backgrounds. The area is historically working class and is populated with Arab butchers and North-African kebab shops. Here people come together to eat, drink, socialise and enjoy their lives. The area is just five minute walk from the iconic and politically important Place de la République.

On Saturday, less than 24 hours after the attacks, I looked out of the window of the apartment and caught sight of the street-cleaners who had come to clear the blood-stained terraces on the Rue de la Fontaine au Roi. I went down to visit this road and the Rue Alibert, joining the crowd of mourners who had gathered to lay flowers and pay their respects. The crowd was sombre, shocked, tense and grieving. Grieving for those in the restaurants, the football stadium and the Bataclan concert hall, who were living their lives just like any Parisian when they were massacred.

The attacks, co-ordinated to create widespread havoc across the city, had no particular target. Unlike the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Casher incidents in January, the victims of the latest attacks were not singled out for any discernible reason, whether religious or vocational. They were simply typical bystanders, enjoying themselves on a Friday night. These attacks have had such a profound effect for this reason: ordinary young people were injured, terrorised and murdered in areas which are local, well-priced and ordinary. In January, freedom of expression was threatened and attacked in the capital, along with its Jewish residents. Last weekend, all Parisians were targeted.
While the city and its residents continue to grieve, come together, mourn and consider how to progress with everyday life, the external world is engaged in debate. Many people across the world have expressed solidarity with Paris and its residents, but my Facebook newsfeed has been saturated with questions about why this attack has gained more coverage than similar incidents in Lebanon or elsewhere. For those of us in Paris, this is not a question we need to ask at the moment. If we are to learn anything from this, it should be compassion for those across the world who are the victims of terror on a regular basis.

The atmosphere in the city remains tense but defiant. My Parisian friends express fear but also determination to carry on life as normal. Who knows how the next few weeks will unfold. As France stands united in grief and defiance, military retaliation is already underway against ISIS. The French are determined to defend their Republic and uphold its beloved values of liberté, égalité and fraternité. While social media is rife with catchy hashtags of defiance, there is great uncertainty and nervousness in the city. People here are simply concerned with how to carry on. We can all say that we’ll carry on as normal, but in reality everything is different. The city has suffered a horror and will take time to heal.