RUNNING HEAD: The Paris Attacks: A Review of Literature

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

Troy L. Payne
University of Texas at El Paso
English 1312

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

On January 7, 2015 Charlie Hebdo Magazine was attacked and many people including
artists and police officers were killed. The next day another attack took place at a kosher market
killing some Jewish casualties as well. The attacks shocked all of France, especially when these
attackers claim to be apart of ISIS and al-Qaeda. These attacks were in response to one of
Charlie Hebdos covers depicting the Prophet Mohammad. (CNN, 2015). After these terrorist
attacks France quickly came together as a nation to mourn and show these terrorist groups that
they wont break. Over the months after these attacks France has come together to find new
ways to protect themselves and to help the people of France mourn. But even with all it publicity
on news stations and social media not many people know about these attacks. Besides the
attackers being all over the news, victims were honored and praised by the people of France.
Vigils and rallies were held in their honor, but with the attacks being as much of threat as it was a
few questions arise:
1. How has the media portrayed the victims in the Paris attacks?
2. Has the Paris attacks affected French Politics in Foreign Policy?
3. How Paris been able to heal and recover from the attacks took place?
These questions will be the basis of this Literature Review paper. Background information
with fuel and answer these questions with facts as well as some Primary Research done on this
topic.
How has the media portrayed the victims in the Paris attacks?
Overall, the media has portrayed all the victims in a very positive way. Each and every victim
has been identified, and a little bio about them has been given. Not only did News Media talk
about each and every person on who they were, but what they were doing during the attacks. The
media has help grow sympathy for all the victims and their families as well as Paris in a whole.
Not only did the media just talk about the victims but also covered all the tributes that were held

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

in Paris for them. The rally that was held for them was the covered with media as well as the
Eiffle Tower shutting off its lights in remembrance for all of the victims. It was a scene mirrored
in towns and cities across France, and elsewhere in Europe, as people honored those who paid
with their lives for press freedom. (Jones, Martinez, Sanchez, 2015).
The news media wasnt the only type of media to portray the victims, but social media as
well. People all over France had taken to social media on Twitter and had the hashtag Je suis
Charlie trending within hours. As seen in the image below, It's the phrase that appeared on the
Charlie Hebdo website, which linked to a file showing the same phrase repeated in several
languages. (Frantz, Whiteman, 2015).
Image 1. The phrase, Je suis Charlie in various languages.

Source: Charlie Hebdo (2015). CNN: #JeSuisCharlie - Solidarity on social media for press freedom, terror victims.
Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/07/world/social-media-jesuischarlie/index.html

Not only did the hash tag go viral, but cartoonist all over took to twitter with cartoons to
show there right to free speech. A cartoonist named, David Pope said, the rights of cartoonists
must be defended. As a cartoonist you are always pushing that line and they pushed it very hard.
(But) nothing justified the violent events that happened last night. (Frantz, Whiteman, 2015).
Image 2. Geotagged Tweets mentioning #JeSuisCharlie, Paris time zone, January 7, 2014.

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

Source: CartoDB attribution (2015). CNN: #JeSuisCharlie - Solidarity on social media for press freedom, terror
victims. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/07/world/social-media-jesuischarlie/index.html

The image above shows the Twitter hashtag being used within one day aroung France.
Starting on January 7, 2015 at 11:59 AM to 21:33 PM and all the way to 3:58 AM on the
morning of January 8, 2015, the hashtag of Je suis Charlie has spread through all of France and
Europe. The hashtag was at its highest point during on of its rallys and vigils that were held in
Paris. Thousands of people from aroun the world had shown up in respect to the seventeen
people who had lost their lives during the attack. During the shut down of the Eiffle Tower, many
came to pay their respects. Demonstrators' candles glowed in the darkness. Marchers were
mostly silent for the first hour, Le Monde reporter Maxime Goldbaum tweeted, but then began
chanting, Charlie! Charlie! Charlie! and We are Charlie! (Jones, Martinez, Sanchez, 2015).
At Place de la Republique, which were the rally march and vigils were held, people stood
together, We are (determined) that they don't have the last word, he said of the terrorists. We
have to win, and we will win ... because our struggle is liberty. (Jones, Martinez, Sanchez,
2015). Once the vigils were done and France had a time to mourn all the victims were finally laid
to rest in Paris and in Israel; for the Jewish victims who were killed in the kosher store after the
Charlie Hebdo shootings days earlier. The police officers that were killed were given the nations

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

highest award and given a proper burial and the Jewish victims were sent home and buried with
friends and family who mourned for their losses. French President Francois Hollande has
pledged that his country will "never yield" to "terror" while honouring three police officers killed
during the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper. (Aljazeera, 2015). This sums up
how all of the media portrayed the victims. Not only did France and people from all over the
world come together to remember them, but to honor them and give them a voice during this
dark time.
Has the Paris attacks affected French Politics in Foreign Policy?
Since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the kosher market, France has made it priority into
looking into its government to see how thing are ran and what can be done to improve it to make
their people feel safe. France has seen what that an attack can happen in the heart of Paris in mid
day light and they feel they need to have some kind of awareness when coming to terrorist
threats and attacks. Terrorist attacks can either make or break a country. France has stood
together to show these terrorists that these attacks will not break them down. But the people of
France cant really enforce any political or government change. The government needs to come
in and do things to make people and places feel safer.
One step France has taken to do this is to start making laws that will help them track down
any kind of terrorism. Prime Minister Manuel Valls has introduced many new things since the
attacks. One is a bill that will allow the government to track and snoop in on cell phones. The
measures allow authorities to spy on the digital and mobile communications of anyone linked to
a "terrorist" enquiry without prior authorization from a judge, and forces Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) and phone companies to give up data upon request. (France 24, 2015). Laws
like this one will help the government keep a close eye on any kind of threat made to the country.

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

But some people think could be a huge invasion of privacy and a law like this can cause a rift
in the nations people. To ensure that the state does not abuse this new scope of surveillance in
any way, Brown explained that any surveillance operation will need to be justified by the prime
ministers office before they take place. (France 24, 2015). So, there are measures that need to
be taken for the government to do something like this. The government feels like they need to
boost up on security in the nation to prevent an attack like this to occur again. Despite the
criticisms, polls show that the French in general want to step up surveillance in the wake of the
January attacks in and around Paris that left 17 people dead. (France 24,2015).
Another step they are taking is to track all flights and people coming on and out of the
country. At the European Union headquarters in Brussels, new efforts are being made to
overcome privacy objections and make the sharing of air passenger information easier. (Cook,
Corbet, 2015). But laws like this bring us many privacy issues as well. The EU system would
oblige airlines to provide the authorities with data on people entering or leaving the bloc, vital to
tracing foreign fighters. Privacy concerns have stalled the legislation in the European Parliament.
In frustration, some EU states have decided to go it alone with their own PNR-like systems and
interconnect them with other partners. (Cook, Corbet, 2015). Not only do the want to just track
people on land and in the skies but as well as online. They want Internet providers to shut down
any Internet sites that preach jihad. But like many thing there are always problems. EU nations
must tread carefully between effective counterterrorism and the potential violation of privacy and
restriction of free speech. (Hockenos, 2015).
The attacks have brought many people on the side of Charlie Hebdo in support with them,
but it has also brought many groups in favor of their terrorist. That there action was justified in
defending the Prophet Muhammad. Now France has arrested many people who have spoke out

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

and said they are in favor of the attack. So there is this debate of free speech, and can you say
what you think. (Kapenga, 2015). In an interview with Jesse Kapenga, a Politics Professor at the
University of Texas at El Paso he stated the following, I dont know about foreign policy, but
its changed domestic policy because France has really used it to end anti-terrorism, anti-Muslim,
and pro free speech. But foreign policy, France has really dived into join in against ISIS. It
boosted national opinion for France to go be involved against Muslim extremist groups.
(Kapenga, 2015). One can conclude that France has done a lot since the attacks in trying to keep
their nation safe. But when it comes to foreign policy, it hasnt really changed, but domestically
it has changed drastically.
How has Paris been able to heal and recover since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo?
Within days after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo, Paris had already started to begin to heal.
Social media had blown up within second after the attacks. With the slogan, Je suis Charlie or
I am Charlie. The people of France saw this as an opportunity to show the world that this
attack would not make them weak, but only make them stronger as a nation. Days after the attack
Paris had made a rally for the victims that have fallen. They stood as one to show they will not be
defeated. Millions showed up to Place de la Rpublique to march. People from all around the
world showed up to pay their respects.
Ordinary people to government officials from around the world walked in this march and
held signs saying, Je suis Charlie and Je suis Suif or I am Jewish. Police was present to
keep things in order, and people chanted things like, Libert, egalit, fraternit or Freedom,
equality, brotherhood. They also chanted, Nous Sommes Tous Charlie (We Are All Charlie)
and On Na Pas Peur (We Are Not afraid). Merci la Police or Thank you Police got more
applause than anything else. (Walt, 2015). People were grateful for everything they had done in

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

shooting three of the terrorist up to the remembrance of a policewoman who was shot and killed
during the attacks. The rally has helped France fill the void they thought they had lost. We are
determined that they don't have the last word, Pierre Cornet, a Parisian said of the terrorists. We
have to win, and we will win ... because our struggle is liberty. (Jones, Martinez, 2015).
Along with the people thriving to be strong, the government also took things into their hands
to make sure that an incident like this doesnt occur again. Paris needed a healing process, but it
also needs some new laws and regulations to bind everything together to show extremists they
have not fallen. Days after the attacks, officials had already started meeting to figure new ways
of regulation to prevent another attack. France plans on spending 425 million euros in the next
three years to prevent this on having more officers and leaning on Internet engines to block any
website that is pro-terrorist. They also plan on putting more officers near Jewish school in safety
precautions to keep these kids safe from any threat that could be lurking there. France has
repeatedly strengthened its counterterrorism laws over the years, including a measure passed in
November that focused on preventing extremists from joining fighters abroad. (Cook, Corbet,
2015). Laws like this have helped the people in France feel safer with the precautions taken to
prevent an attack like this occurring again.
Overall Paris had had much support from Muslims, Jews, Americans, and people from all
around the world to help them. The attacks just showed the world how strong Paris has become
and they will not let a horrific even like the one that occurred January 7 through January 9 make
them less than what they are. Laws and rally marches are the main points oh how Paris has
started to heal, but the major over all of this is the burials of the victims who were killed. By
putting these people to rest, all of Paris can finally rest peacefully. Evan the Jewish kosher
market has reopened to help the people move on. We wanted to reopen quickly and to show we

The Paris Attacks and The Victims: A Review of Literature

are not defeated and not afraid. (Worland, 2015). One of the biggest tributes was the Eiffel
Tower being turned off at night in remembrance for the people who have died. Faycal Haddad, a
Muslim who went to pay his respect in one of the vigils, carried a homemade sign stating not
in my name, not in the name of my religion. Haddad said, If I thought that this was what Islam
was about, I would not be part of it. No religion in the world can authorize anyone to kill.
(Jones, Martinez, 2015). Another man named Emmanuel Leger brought his son to a vigil where
both held burning candles. I think today is the day everything changed, the father
said.(Jones, Martinez, 2015). This shows that religion has had a huge effect on this whole
incident but the people have come together to mourn together and fight as one.
Conclusion
Within the months that have passed after the terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish
kosher supermarket, Paris has seen many things happen for the better. The change in foreign
policy on the government being able to sneak through personal things like emails and text
messages may have a negative effect towards its people, but is going to be better in the long run
in finding any hiding terrorists. The way they have mourned and showed respect to these
amazing people who have died is a tremendous victory. These victims stood up for freedom and
unfortunately lost their lives for it, but have spread an epidemic of people being proud in who
they are and what they believe in. Paris has had time to heal and show terrorist that they can stay
strong in times of sorrow. People of all religion feel for what has happened and will stand by
Paris in their dark fog of hurt. These attacks have been linked to ISIS and al Qaeda, which have
been a threat to the world, and these attacks show that together we can fight and not give them
what they want. People will not give these extremists the gratification they crave so badly. Some
terrorist might still be on the run or in hiding in Syria, but they will never win. The world wont

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allow it. And with that said, the world will do anything from keeping people of the internet in
pro-terrorist pages to making it easier to obtain peoples fight information to prevent any more
attacks like this. Blood doesnt need to be shed to prove a point, and places like Paris wont allow
the blood to stain the streets forever. They will rise, as a stronger country in defending what they
believe is right and just and thats something no terrorist can ever take away.

Reference Page
2015 Paris Terrorist Attacks Fast Facts. (January 21, 2015). CNN, Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/europe/2015-paris-terror-attacks-fast-facts/

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Cook, L., & Corbet, S. (January 22, 2015). Paris healing but still reeling. Baylor Lariat.
Retrieved from http://baylorlariat.com/2015/01/22/paris-healing-but-still-reeling/
Fantz, A., & Whiteman, H. (January 9, 2015). #JeSuisCharlie - Solidarity on social media for
press freedom, terror victims. CNN,. Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/07/world/social-media-jesuischarlie/index.html
France unveils snooping bill in wake of Paris attacks. (March 19, 2015). France 24, Retrieved
from http://www.france24.com/en/20150319-france-counter-terrorism-bill-surveillance/
Hockenos, P. (January 24, 2015). Dont turn Europe into a militarized surveillance state.
Aljazeera, Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/1/after-pariseuropes-long-view-on-antiterrorism.html
Jones, B., Martinez, M., & Sanchez, R. (January 9, 2015). Paris' Eiffel Tower goes dark, unity
rallies held after Charlie Hebdo attack. CNN, Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/08/world/france-rally-reaction-charlie-hebdoattack/index.html
Victims of France attacks laid to rest. (January 14, 2015). Aljazeera. Retrieved from
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2015/01/victims-paris-attacks-laid-rest2015113123024836942.html
Walt, V. (January 11, 2015). Paris March in Solidarity Against Terror Attacks Was Largest in
French History. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/3662772/paris-march-solidarityterrorism/
Worland, J. (March 15,2015). Kosher Supermarket in Paris Reopens After January Attack. Time.
Retrieved from http://time.com/3745303/paris-kosher-terror-attack/

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