France marks ten years since the 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and shocked the world. Survivors and families continue to carry the emotional scars of that night. The assault remains the deadliest attack on French soil since World War Two and reshaped national security policies.
The attacks began outside the Stade de France, where suicide bombers struck during a soccer match attended by former President Francois Hollande. Gunmen then opened fire at cafés, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall, targeting people enjoying a Friday night out.
President Emmanuel Macron will lead tributes on Thursday. He will join survivors and relatives at a series of memorial events across the city. The ceremonies will start at the Stade de France before moving to the attacked cafés and then to the Bataclan.
Sebastian Lascoux, who survived the Bataclan massacre, still battles trauma. He remembers the sound of gunfire, the panic and the smell of blood. He lost a friend who died while shielding another. Loud noises still trigger fear, and he avoids crowded spaces.
Other survivors share similar pain but continue to push forward. They say life must go on, even at the Bataclan, which now hosts concerts again. Officials note that France faces a different terror threat today, driven largely by online radicalisation rather than coordinated large-scale attacks.
